Tale as old as time
by luna bear28
Summary: Inspired by Beauty and the Beast, this is a slightly different take on it, with vampires, werewolves and witches. Edd sees something he was never meant to see, now he is stuck with a very unpleasant admirer. Will he and his friends survive against a world where mythical monsters exist.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Darkness, there was nothing but darkness, conveying the empty void that was the recently unoccupied stage. Suddenly a bright spotlight shown directly in the middle of the void revealing a figure dressed in black from head to toe. The figure was male, with deep blue eyes and short black hair tucked under a black beanie. Tonight, he was about to reveal something very personal to his audience, something that he has had to deal with ever since he was a teen. The melancholy 23-year-old held a sheet of white paper in his hand and began to read in a quiet and calm manner his poem:

**Red** by Edward Vincent

Red is all I saw of her

Red my favorite color

Red splashed all over the place

Red which framed his face

Red which adorned his hair

Red staining his skin so fair

Red all over that room

Red which sealed her doom

Red as far as the eye could see

Red which to this day haunts me

Red marks the deceased

Red has fed the beast

.

.

.

.

.

Nothing will stop the beast

From his never-ending red feast

Thank you.

The male takes a bow and waits for the stage lights to turn on. The lights illuminated the entire auditorium revealing the other students of his university's drama class. The other students just sat there and stared at the male before slowly applauding his effort. The male smiles at everyone nervously while fiddling with the loose buttons of his white shirt, he tended to do that whenever he was anxious.

The teacher stood up and walked over to the stage with a look of concern on his face, "Thank you Mr. Vincent, that was…..interesting, I would actually like to have a word with you in regards to your choice of content".

Edd gives him a small smile, "of course Mr. smith".

"As for the rest of you that is all we have time for today. See you tomorrow, remember to work on your final scripts for next week. The best one will be used in this year's drama festival", said Mr. Smith. As the room emptied, he addressed Edward, "how's the therapy going kiddo?"

Edd sighed, "ok so far, I no longer have nightmares and I am learning to accept that I may never be rid of my personal demon".

"You mean personal demons", said Mr. Smith quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes of course", said Edd in a somewhat emotionless manner, "personal demons…...plural…" He was about to say something else when an alarm sounded from his back pocket. He instantly reached for his smartphone and turned off the alarm function. He immediately rushed off the stage and towards his bag which was sitting in the front row.

"I'm just asking because your poem seemed a bit…..." said Mr Smith following the younger male with his eyes.

"Dark?" said Edd placing the smartphone back into his pants pocket and slung his backpack onto his back. He then faced his teacher fully and frowned, "I'm not trying to be dark or whatever the kids are calling it these days, goth? I simply have a lot to get off my mind, it's part of my therapy after all".

"I completely understand that, however", said Mr. Smith, feeling an overwhelming need to press a bit further, "you talked about the beast a few times since your arrival in my class. You said red framed his face, red stained his skin and red adorning his hair. I'm sorry but I just have to ask, are you referring to a…..."

"My apologizes", said Edd in a rushed tone while taking out his phone again to check the time, "I must go, I have another class to attend and I am already running late". He heads towards the door but turns briefly to wave at his teacher, "I am sure we can discuss the meaning of my poem some other time, have a great day".

"Edward I must insist that you stay and clarify…..." said Mr. Smith in a calm yet stern tone.

Edd sighed and snapped his fingers, the older male behind him froze in place. Edd then turned around and looked at him sympathetically, "Mr. Smith, you're a truly good person. Thank you for trying to get involved in my life and trying to help me. To show my appreciation for your efforts, I hereby command you to forget. Forget what you know about me, forget how much you care, starting tomorrow I am just another student in your classroom". He walked up to the teacher and gently grabbed his chin forcing him to look him in the eye, "what will you do?"

Mr smith looks at him blankly completely enthralled, "forget, forget what I know about you, forget about how much I care, tomorrow you will be nothing more than just another student to me".

Edd smiles and hugs him, "excellent". He separated from his mentor and turned towards the door. As he retreated, he snapped his fingers again," have a great day Mr. Smith".

"oh…. uh, you too", said Mr. Smith, he glanced in Edd's direction slightly confused but decided it was nothing and went over to his desk to go through the student's papers.

It was 4 pm, and Edd had a lot to do before nightfall. He was running short on supplies and it was imperative that he get them **before nightfall. **He quickly made it out of the building and onto the campus parking lot where his moped was waiting for him. He hopped on it and in one swift motion started the vehicle. He took off towards the small town off campus and stopped in front of a local supermarket. After parking his bike, he rushed inside and made a beeline for the vegetable section. After finding what he needed there he made his purchased and was off to his moped. He drove to his next destination, a church. After getting what he needed there he checked his smartphone again, 5:30 pm, the church seemed a lot farther than he expected. He learned a long time ago to not freak out whenever he notices the evening fast approaching. It would take about 30 minutes to get back to the university and another 5 minutes to get to the dorms, he still had time. He got onto his moped and took off for the University. When he got home it was 6:05 pm, dawn was approaching, and a sudden twinge of nervousness hit his stomach. He calmed himself down a bit and began to prepare for the night ahead.

When he first enrolled into Peach Creek University, he requested that he get a dorm to himself. Thanks to the scholarship he received as part of the young writer's guild of America he was able to not only pay for college but also a bigger dorm. It was like a studio apartment with a small bedroom, a kitchen and a full bathroom. He took the items he purchased and entered his room. He went over to the windows beside his bed where dried up garlic hung from the curtain rods. He took them down and threw them away, he then went to an old cereal bowl he kept on his nightstand. He reached into his backpack and produced a large bottle of water, he was lucky enough to find the grotto behind the church occupied by the priest who baptized him as a baby, he helped him by blessing the water. He poured the water into the bowl, afterwards he opened the window and soaked a small towel into it. He wiped the outside of the window with it as well as the window frame, he then did the same to the inside of the window. He closed the windows and reached into his backpack again producing 4 small netted bags of garlic.

It was 6:20pm, so far so good, he didn't have much left to do anyway. He hung the garlic off the same hooks that held the previous ones and stepped back to check his own handy work. The four small bags hung across the window curtain and the sun could be seen slowly setting over the horizon outside. Once upon a time he imagined himself being able to meet his friends at the local nightclub, having a drink or two and maybe being driven home completely plastered from a night of fun. Truth be told he was not into the club scene, was not a heavy drinker and often preferred an early sleep schedule but he would have liked to have the freedom to choose not to go instead of being held hostage in his own apartment. He looked over at the windowsill and grinned. He went over to his drawer and produced a plastic bag full of silverware. It was mostly knives, forks and spoons but they were 100% silver, he snagged them from his parents' house before he left for college, he knew he was going to need them. After placing the silverware on the windowsill, he was finally free to shower for bed. After showering he changed into his pajamas and retreated to bed with his diary. As the sun finally sets and the world outside dims to night, he found himself suddenly inspired. His latest diary entry wouldn't be an actual poem but at least he could get his thoughts out in a way so he could probably turn it into a poem someday. He relaxed and propped up his pillows against the headboard and rested his back against them. He started to write while not so eagerly anticipating his silent visitor.

7 years, I have been at this for 7 years, the hiding, the constant smell of garlic, the weekly visits to the church, the silver crosses and the early morning classes to avoid staying out later than 6 pm. It's all because of the beast who haunts my nightmares and fills my days with dread. I can never understand why I'm so interesting to it. Why am I the target of his obsession?

The sound of taping came from the window causing Edd to freeze in place. He refused to acknowledge it, choosing to concentrate on his diary.

I met the beast when I was 15 years old, it committed a murder so horrifying that I dreamed of it every night since. It confessed its love for me recently and I am still confused as to why. I don't believe for a second that it is even capable of love. For some odd and somewhat alarming reason, I have been able to gather that he simply wants what all beasts crave, blood.

The tapping grew louder and a bit more impatient. Edd wouldn't dare to look up, he knew who was waiting for him on the other side of the window. He continued writing as the gentle taps turned to impatient banging.

I wish Eddy was here, he's supposed to be here with me to help protect me from this creature. It was the whole reason why we decided to live together. He kept disappearing from time to time, I think he might be seeing someone. Still I could really use his help. It waits for me, out there in the night. It stares at me with golden eyes, peering at me with a never-ending thirst. No matter where I go, it will soon follow, it will always follow, I can't seem to rid myself of it.

The banging became louder, causing Edd to finally look up in confusion. He coated the windows with holy water, how is that thing able to bang on them? He observed the windows closely and realized the banging was being done by a large tree stump being slammed against the window. Edd immediately panicked as the stump shattered the glass of the window and busted through it. Edd shouted and climbed across his bed to the other side to hide from his eternal stalker. The window was completely shattered at this point and the beast quickly discarded the stump. A pair of golden eyes peered into the room and sat on a large tree branch. He made no motion to move from his spot, he just sat there, leaned his head against the tree and stared into the room directly at the bed where his beloved was hiding. His deceptively handsome features were shrouded by the darkness outside, so one really could not tell what he was thinking.

The beast stayed that way for a while before eventually breaking the silence, "I know you're there Edward, come on out". It stared at the windowsill and noticed the silverware, a soft chuckle slipped out of him, "this again? The silver is unneeded, I haven't been invited to your home, so I can't come in. All I can do is watch you from out here. You've denied me your body countless times, so the least you can do is let me look at you".

Edward weighed his options, the blood thirsty beast outside his window really couldn't get in no matter what he tried. Even if he tried to get into the apartment through the kitchen window (which he has) it still wouldn't be a problem. The doorknob to his room was made of pure silver and the door itself was adorned with crucifixes, that room was the safest place for him to be. Edd decided to reveal himself by slowly standing up from his bed and staring back at the beast with fear in his eyes.

The beast smiles and lifts his head from the tree to lean forward and get a closer look, "ahhhh, there you are my sweet Hyacinthus".

"I still don't know why you insist on calling me that" said Edward not moving from his spot, he can't relax until the beast was fully gone.

This comment has suddenly triggered the beasts rage and he retort in a lower more animalistic voice, "**that is your name".**

Edd slowly back up, he wanted to be closer to his weapon of choice just in case this conversation went south. After another moment of silence, Edd decides to speak again, "I…I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that".

Suddenly the beast stands straight up on the branch he was sitting on and leaps to the windowsill. He stands there blocking the gaping hole he created and stares down at the other male in anger, his voice laced with frustration, "THAT IS YOUR NAME, I call you Edward merely because it pleases you, but don't think for a second that it's an obligation. **I WILL CALL YOU WHATEVER I LIKE**".

Edd pressed himself to his closet door away from the frightening scene and opened it. He then produced a super soaker water gun and in one swift motion he sprayed more holy water onto the beast. In an instant the beast jumped away from the window screaming in pain and fell completely to the ground below. The sound of his pain filled rage was heard as he landed hard on the concrete sidewalk 3 stories from Edd's dorm. His howls sounded like a mixture of a lion's roar and a dragon's shriek. Edd placed the super soaker back into the closet and closed the door. He then sank down to the ground and sat there putting his hands to his ears to block out the demonic sound.

"MOTHERFUCKER" screamed the beast nursing the burning hole in his chest, "SHIT, WAS THAT EVEN NECESSARY YOU LITTLE PSYCHO". The room he just came from was quiet for a while, Edward refused to look out the window, he didn't care that he hurt the beast he just wanted it to go away. The beast cringed as the skin and muscle tissue in his chest began to regenerate and he slowly stood up straight. He looked at the window with a mixture of longing and utter fury, "YOU CAN'T KEEP THIS UP FOR LONG. WE BOTH KNOW THE TRUTH, YOU ARE MINE HYACINTHUS. YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AND YOU ALWAYS WILL BE".

Edd ignored the screams of indignant rage and got up to clean the bits of glass from his bed. He was also angry, because this thing just won't leave him be, he now has to change his sheets and sweep up the glass from the bedroom floor, "what a nuisance". He survived yet another night against the beast but also realized that the creature had a point. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to hold down the fort. I decided that he may have to killed it someday, but for now, he needed to clean up and get to bed. He will have to cover the hole in his window with plastic in the morning, thank god it was summer, he'd probably freeze to death otherwise. He walked around the bed and began the long arduous task of cleaning his room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Uh…Double D, what's with all this stuff?" said Ed dressed in his Home Depot uniform. He had been working there for years between helping Eddy with his scams and was always able to get his friends discounts whenever they shopped there. But unfortunately, he wasn't sure he would be able to discount his friends' items. A few minutes ago, he saw his brainy, normally composed, friend dash from one aisle to another picking up 30-gallon black trash bags, a windowpane, and industrial-strength tape.

"I need to be more prepared,'' said Edd a bit out of breath, it was 4:30 pm and he needed to get home as quickly as possible, "he broke my window Ed, each year he gets more and more ambitious. I have to do something about that frightening beast lest he abducts me for his own insidious means".

"Uh oh,'' said Ed as he watched his friend ring his items up in the self-service line, "what about Eddy?"

Edd stopped for a moment and thought about it, " I have no idea, this is the fifth time he's ghosted me. I've no idea what's going on". Edd looked over at the supplies he collected and grinned a bit at his friend, "I'm sorry Ed, I believe I have collected more than I could afford and….."

Ed smiles at him and puts up a hand to stop him from continuing, " say no more Double D, I've got you covered". He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a kiosk card, he then swiped his card against the credit card kiosk giving his friend the employee discount he needed. Double D cheerfully paid for the items. Ed gave him a worried look as he collected his change, "I could come to see you tonight, maybe call Sara and have her look after Leslie".

Edd gave him a sympathetic look, as surprising as it seemed his normally dimwitted friend was the first one out of the three to pop his cherry in their sophomore year of high school. Worst yet it was with May Kanker, even worst yet she was pregnant with his child. Leslie was four now and became the center of Ed and May's world. The whole situation managed to mentally wake them up in a way, they were more alert, caring and focused on their child's needs as well as that of their modest family hence Ed's managerial position at Home Depot in the day and May's job cleaning corporate offices at night. The last thing Double D wanted to do was inconvenience Ed in any way or put him in danger.

Edd lightly hugged his friend and smiled at him, " your family needs you, I would never ask you to put your life on the line for me. Besides I survived this long on my own granted we were doing this together at the time. I have a very intricate system in place to keep him at bay for months or maybe years to come. I also learned a few new spells to repel him, perhaps that's why Eddy's been so comfortable lately with leaving me alone".

He went shopping for supplies with the possibility of finally and killing the beast but he didn't seem to have the guts to do it. The beast has become more determined than ever to get to him, there was no telling when or if he would even succeed. He looked over at his friend who looked back at him, even more, worried than he was previously. The smarter male sighed, "look, regardless I promise I will be fine. All you need to think about is your family. I'll see you later Ed".

Ed reluctantly nodded to him and gave him another hug, "be safe Double D".

Later that night

Edd lay in his bed staring at the ceiling for a while, he then looked over at his smartphone resting on the nightstand next to him. He picked it up to get a better look at the time, 7 pm, he didn't even have to look at the window to know he was there. At least this time he didn't have to see him staring at him with those creepy gold eyes. The window was covered by a large black garbage bag, cut in half, spread out and taped to either side of the windowsill.

"You deny me once again Hyacinthus", said the voice of the beast from behind the black plastic. There were the noises of rustling in the background before he spoke again, "I yearn for just a glimpse of your beautiful face".

Edd turned in his bed and glared back at the plastic, "you broke my window".

The beast cleared his throat for a moment before continuing, " my beloved Hyacinthus, my most precious flower. I compare thee to the moon, bright and luminescent….."

"You broke my window,'' said Edd a bit more sternly.

"I watched you bloom from a small seed to a vibrant and lovely….." the beast continued.

Edd sighed frustratingly and was about to move to the living room when his phone rang. He quickly reached for it on the nightstand. The minute he answered the phone he instantly regretted it….

"YO SOCKHEAD, OPEN THE DOOR".

Edd took the phone away from his head, "I hate when he does that". He placed the phone back on his ear, "wait, where are you?"

"uh…at your front door, come on, hurry up".

Edd's stomach dropped, he took a quick glance at the window again noticing that his supernatural stalker was suspiciously quiet, he makes his way out of his room, "where have you been Eddy?".

"Seriously, open the fucking door, I need your help".

"Oh for goodness sakes", Edd said exited the bedroom and heading for the front door. He was then halted by the sound of animalistic growling coming from the window. He then heard the sound of shifting followed by a hard thud on the ground below the window. Edd's heart raced as he quickly opened the front door.

Eddy looks over at him slightly shocked but quickly recovered, "about ti…"

He was interrupted when his normally calm, intelligent friend grabbed his shirt and yanked him into the dorm room. The sudden action caused eddy to fly onto the floor of the living room and curse out as he landed on his side. Edd quickly closed the door and engaged every lock on it making sure they were secured and in place. As he stepped away from the door, Eddy got up onto his feet and glanced at him in annoyance.

"Fucking spaz", said Eddy, dusting himself off, " you nearly broke my arm".

The sound of growling and roaring made both men froze in their tracks and gaze fearfully at the door. Edd backed away from it and joined Eddy who by now decided to hide behind the couch.

"How secure is that door?" asked Eddy trying to calm his rising terror.

"As long as I don't invite him in we'll be ok,'' said Edd.

They both jumped as the beast in question banged loudly on the door, this was followed by more roaring and growling. The two stayed behind the couch and sat on the floor deciding to talk from there.

"Eddy you know how dangerous it is to be out at night with him around,'' said Edd in a scolding tone.

"Geez, sorry, I just…..oh shit", Eddy ran to the kitchen window and pulled up the blinds. He then scanned the area for the creature who was previously chasing after him. He saw a dark anamorphic creature sniffing around in the bushes right across from the apartment building. It then crossed the lawn and sniffed around in that area.

Eddy quickly closed the blinds and looked over at his friend, "we gotta go".

"We can't Eddy,'' said Edd slowly moving towards the closed door. He peered through the peephole and saw that the beast was still there getting ready to ram the front door, "he's still out there".

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOUR VAMPY BOYFRIEND" yelled Eddy, the fear rising within him, "I'm talking about the werewolf sniffing around our window".

"What were…..?" Edd was interrupted by the sound of crashing coming from the kitchen. Eddy leaped over the couch to get to where Edd was by the door. The two males pressed themselves against the door as the huge black hairy beast growled at them, dark soulless eyes glared at them as he approached his prey.

"D….double D", Eddy quivered in fear and clung to Edd's arm.

"shhh, just remain perfectly still," said Edd also shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly there was banging on the door from the other side.

"HYACINTHUS", said the beast from outside the apartment, "who is in there with you? OPEN THE DOOR.

Edd's brain was working a mile a minute, eyes darting all around the room for a way out of this mess. He then remembered the silver in his room. Before he could act the giant wolf leaped after them, "DODGE".

The two frightened friends leaped out of the way in opposite directions. The wolf crashed through the front door and into the beast. The beast was rammed into the wall behind him but recovered quickly, he chased the creature back towards the entrance but was instantly repelled, launching him back out into the hall.

Edd made it back to his room and grabbed as much silverware as he could, he rushed back to where the wolf was. He had Eddy cornered when Edd jumped onto the couch and onto it's back, stabbing it repeatedly with a silver carving knife. Eddy took a standing nearby lamp and was beating the creature over the head with it. The wolf howled in pain from the stabbing and snarled and gnashed at Eddy over his interference. His large jaws chomped down on the lamp and yanked it from the male's grasp. He backhanded Eddy launching him back into the kitchen and slamming him against the kitchen cabinets. He then reached over to where Edd was on his back and flung his assailant across the room causing him to scratch himself in the arm with one of the knives he was about to use on the wolf.

The beast still standing at the now doorless entrance ignored the people approaching him, wondering what the commotion was. when they spotted the giant wolf inside and heard his ear-piercing roar they scattered like roaches, rushing towards the exits. The beast looked over to where Edd was anxiously, they were going to die. Taking on this massive creature is impossible for mere mortals, no matter how many knives or fork you stab them with. He couldn't give a flying fuck about Eddy, in fact, it would be most beneficial to him if the short intruder were devoured. But then the creature would turn his sights on Edd.

Edd groaned and slowly tried to get up but the pain in his back and his arm caused him to take a knee, "E….Eddy".The werewolf jumped onto the counter and into the kitchen just inches from Eddy.

The other male scampered away from him and pressed himself against a nearby wall, "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT JORDAN, l…look I'm sorry ok. I just…." The creature clawed at him but missed and took out a chunk of the wall. Eddy quickly moved away from him and put his hand up in defense, "Double D do something".

The beast looked over at Edd and his eyes widened, "is he actually going to try again,'' Edd slowly stood up with a silver knife clutched in his hand. The beast loses his patience, "you fool if it didn't work the first time, why would you try it a second time?"

"I won't let him die,'' said Edd in a shaky voice. Edd levitated the knife in front of him and liquified it, he then reshaped it into a large spear and shot it at the werewolf. It missed as the massive wolf dipped his head to swipe again at Eddy. Eddy struggled to try and talk some sense into the huge creature and failing miserably.

"Let me in Edward", said the beast glaring at him. The gap-toothed male look over at him surprised, that was the first time in 5 years he had ever used his real name. another growl drew their attention back to Eddy who was now pinned to the floor by the wolf under his giant paw. Edd chanted another spell under his breath and a forcefield was formed over Eddy. The wolf attacked the shield clawing, gnashing and using his full strength to slowly squeeze it. Eddy was still trying to talk to it while it continued to squeeze its way into the shield. Edd felt like his brain was being squeezed, blood trickled from his nose as he struggled to not only keep the shield up but also conjure another spell.

The beast looked back at Edd, "don't let your stubbornness be his undoing".

He was right, he couldn't keep the shield up and his mind was so focused on it he couldn't think of another spell to cast, without letting go of the shield, he finally said it, "Kevin Barr, I invite thee into my home". Within seconds the wolf was launched off Eddy and skidded across the floor back into the kitchen.

The shield was lowered and Eddy scurried out from it. While Kevin fought against the werewolf, he crawls away towards Edd who was leaning against the door frame of his room, "D…..double D, y…you ok?"

Edd weakly clung to Eddy, ignoring the stinging pain in his arm, and wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve, "we have to get out of here". While the beast continued to battle with the werewolf the two frightened males made their way out of the apartment building and out into the parking lot. Eddy quickly open his car door and got in the driver side. He opened the passenger's side door for Edd, he barely gave the other male a chance to enter the vehicle before starting the engine. Before they could move the sound of glass and debris rang through the air. The two froze a bit but were jolted back to reality as both Kevin and the werewolf fell towards them and crashed into the pavement in front of them. Both of the men screamed as Kevin got the upper hand and forced the werewolf's jaws apart. Eddy put the car in reverse and slammed on the peddle causing them to speed off backward away from the scene. With one blood-curdling crack, Kevin managed to rips the wolf's jaw from its head and sunk his fangs into its neck.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT" yelled Eddy in fear, he swerved the car around and took off down the street which was now filled with frightened bystanders running away from the scene and police cars driving towards it. He had no idea where they were going only that they needed to gain as much distance from the two monsters as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It had been a really, really, Long time since Eddy had gone to church. He didn't necessarily come from a religious backward, but he did have a relative or two who did and would frequently invite his parents to Sunday service. Entering the church felt kind of weird but given their present situation he decided to get over it. The two friends down the aisle towards the alter which was adorned in gold and silver tapestry. The gigantic cross towered over the choir seats and matched the golden sheen of the large pipe organ settled on the side. Edd walked up the red velvet covered steps and past the wooden podium. He took a seat in one of the choir seats and sighed as Eddy followed suit. Finally, peace and quietly comforted Edd's senses lulling him to the kind of security only an empty place like this could give him. He thought he was prepared, he thought he could handle himself, he thought he was safe. The realization of what happened tonight began to set and his eyes welled up with tears.

"Double D?" Eddy said quietly breaking the silence.

"Not now" choked out Edd closing his eyes and trying to hold back a sob, all he wanted to do was sit there, enjoy the quiet space and worry about what to do in the morning. He felt Eddy shift off his seat and move somewhere nearby. Edd sighed and kept his eyes closed, suddenly a thought entered his tired mind and he opened his eyes, "you knew him".

Eddy busied himself trying to pry open the donations box he found in the podium with a swiss army knife. When Edd spoke he looked in his directly noticing the horrified look on his face, "What? We might need the money for a hotel or something".

"PUT IT DOWN", Edd yelled at him and levitated the knife right out of Eddy's hand. The offending instrument was launched a few feet away from them and onto the floor, "this is a place of worship, show some respect".

"I'm not disrespecting anyone, "said Eddy slowly backing away from the box, "I'm just trying to make the best of a shitty situation. We're going to need money for food and a place to stay. I'm pretty damn sure you wouldn't want to be here and explain to the perish why you're bleeding".

Edd ignored Eddy's comments and glared at him, "you knew that werewolf, didn't you?"

Eddy suddenly found the floor to be the most interesting thing to look at for the moment, "uh…no, come on it's a fucking werewolf…..."

Edd interrupted him, "a werewolf named Jordan, you said his name. why would you know his name Eddy?"

Eddy's demeaner changed, suddenly he was nervous and avoided eye contact with Edd. After a few more quiet moments he sighed and made his way back to where Edd was sitting. He sat next to his friend finally making eye contact with him, "his name is Jordan, he's Lee's fiancé".

"Lee?" Edd looked at him confused, "wait, she had a fiancé?"

"I didn't know at the time either", Eddy rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, "I didn't even know she was a werewolf. She and Marie are part of some sort of Kanker clan, there was a third sister, but no one knows what happened to her. Anyway, her fiancé walked in on us in the middle of our "devils tango" and nearly ripped my throat out. The only place I could think of to go was our place. We have crosses and garlic and holy water and shit, I just thought it would be safe for us both".

Now it was Edd's turn to be nervous, he reached for his back pocket looking for his phone but to his disappointment it was still at the now destroyed apartment. He looked to Eddy trying not to worry him, "do you have your phone?"

Eddy reached into his back pocket also and produced his smartphone, "it's low on power though". He handed it to Edd and watched him hurriedly dial a number, "who are you calling?"

The other male had the phone to his ear and waited for the person on the other end to pick up, to his dismay it went to voicemail. He hung up and checked the time, "it's 2 in the morning, he must be asleep".

"Who?" Eddy said with a puzzled look on his face.

"Ed" the smarter male finally answered, "he's married to May Kanker remember?"

"oh" Eddy said blankly, "wait, oh shit you're right, she's a Kanker".

"Honestly Eddy", said Edd frustrated, "they've been together since highschool, I put a big complicated camouflage spell on her so she could escape her crazy family. How can you not remember?"

"Look you can't expect me to remember every damn thing we've done", Eddy said getting even more nervous.

"EDDY" shouted Edd, as he tried to dial his friends' number once again. As he called Eddy eyed him a bit longer waiting for any news of their taller friend. Still all he got was a voicemail, "hey Ed, it's double D, call me back as soon as possible. Eddy pissed off the Kanker clan, so expect a visit from them soon. I'll send a guardian pigeon; he will stay with you for 3 days, that should buy you some time to relocate to someplace safe. Be careful Ed".

Eddy tried his best to stay cool, "she wouldn't hurt him, would she?"

"Wolves mate for life", Edd said, his paranormal expertise shining through. He searched the podium and noticed there was a bible sitting on top of it. He opened it and tore out a page from it, using his talent for origami, he folded the paper into a small bird while he spoke, "once the female is impregnated, she will remain devoted to her mate as well as her pups. Given what happened tonight I just wanted to make sure they will be ok". He held Eddy's phone out to him.

"We can try calling later", said Eddy taking the phone from Edd. After a long quiet pause Eddy spoke again, his voice dripping with regret, "I'm sorry…."

Edd sighed as the small paper bird in front of him began to grow small gray feathers on its wings. He leaned back against the chair waiting for his creation to transform into a living being, "I know".

"Seriously though,…..I am such a piece of shit", said Eddy his own eyes tearing up, "I knew how dangerous Kevin was, I knew he was after you and I abandoned you when you needed me the most". Tears rolled down his face in streams now, "I know I was supposed to protect you, but doing the same routine repeatedly was driving me crazy. I had to get out, I needed some air…I…. I….."

"You needed an escape", Edd said in a sad tone looking away from Eddy, "from me?"

"No…well…sort of…" said Eddy trying his best to sound reassuring, "look Double D, we've been dealing with "the beast" for a really long time and he still doesn't seem to be letting up. How long do you plan on doing this? I don't know about you, but I need a life outside of constantly protecting you from Dracula Junior."

Edd listened intently and got up from his seat, the newly formed glowing pigeon took flight and exited the church through an open window near the ceiling. He walked away from his friend a bit lost in what to say, instead he eyed the window the bird escaped through wishing it was big enough for him to do the same," I…. hadn't realized I was such a burden". His sentence ended strained as he tried not to take his friends words personally. He knew Eddy cared for him deeply, when they agreed to live together, he assured Edd that he would always be there to protect him. But as the years went by, he knew that Eddy was growing more and more distant from him. He stayed out longer, their conversations were short, and Eddy even became more agitated with Kevin for constantly stalking his friend and would often take out his frustrations on Edd causing the two to argue frequently.

Edd might not have acted like it, but he craved the same freedom that Eddy did, "I want a life too you know, do you honestly think I like being held up in my apartment night after night dealing with a psychotic blood sucking monster". He looked back at his old friend who looked back at him, "I'm sorry".

"Don't be", said Eddy moving towards him, he then did something he had not done in a very long time. He wrapped his arms around the smarter male and pulled him in for a hug, "none of this is your fault, I'm sorry I made you feel like it was".

"He is right Hyacinth; it is not your fault. Our meeting is destiny".

Both males looked in the direction of where the voice came from. Eddy noticed the dark figure sitting on a wooden beam looking down at them with blood red eyes. He drew Edd's attention to the ceiling and all the color drained from his face. The wooden beam he sat on was directly above the front door, so even if they made a run for it, he could easily leap down and block their path. The two stood perfectly still as if moving would somehow anger the vamp. Kevin looked like a true demon from hell, his blood-soaked clothing molded itself to his muscular frame, his chin, hands and mouth were covered in blood. He idly licked his fingers, fortunately for Eddy the vamp's hunger was completely satisfied.

"Thanks for the meal by the way", said Kevin moving from his fingers to his hand, lapping at it like a cat cleaning itself, "werewolf blood is considered a rare delicacy in my tribe. Getting to one is a bit of a challenge since they have a habit of migrating in groups. Now thanks to you Eddy I can say I've had werewolf".

"uh…. um..." Eddy choked out trying not to allow his mounting fear to get the best of him, "you're…welcome?"

"It's not going to save you though", said Kevin, he allowed himself to fall to the floor below, landing on his feet with the grace of a cat, "you slept with his mate, she might get pregnant by you and once that happens you're basically as good as dead". He moved in their direction slowly being very mindful of the giant cross behind them. His skin tingled and felt uncomfortably warm, he was confident that he wouldn't burst into flames but still being in a church was like entering a sauna with the heat turned up way too high, "unless you are willing to marry her and go through an initiation into their pack. I hear that the process for a human can be painful, most have been known to either kill themselves or be killed in the process". He stopped and looked over at Edd, "Eddy obviously has his own issues to deal with, Edward. Why not ease his burden and come with me"?

"The only burden here is you", said Eddy moving to stand by Edd.

"E…. Eddy", Edd stammered trying to find the words, he didn't want his friend to leave but feared what might happen if he didn't. Suddenly Kevin was in front of him shocking both men, he quickly levitated Eddy and launched him off to the side, causing him to crash into the wall, "EDDY". Edd tried to go to his fallen friend but Kevin grabbed him by the wrist pulling him back. Edd quickly reached for the podium noticing there was a bible on it. He grabbed it quickly and shoved it in front of Kevin's face, "BACK DEMON".

Kevin looked at the holy object, the book wasn't touching his skin, but he could still feel the heat coming off from it, like a hot branding iron close to burning his face. He maintained eye contact with Edd as he spoke, "like I said before he's right, we have played our little game for 5 whole years, don't you think it's time we stopped?" He yanked Edd closer to his body causing the other male to gasp and struggle against him. He then grabbed onto the bible and held it there as Edd tried to take it away. To Edd's shock the holy book burned and sizzled in Kevin's grasp but the other male suffered through it. With a pained look on his face, he let go of Edd's wrist and wrapped his free arm around his waist. He dipped his head and kissed the other male's neck, "give yourself to me, it's best for everyone involved if you just give into me". His gentle almost begging tone caught them both off guard, the one thing he was never known for was begging, the pain from the holy book seared his flesh and began to wear down his defenses.

"GET THE FUCK OFF HIM", Eddy screamed as he ran towards him with a golden bowl filled with water. He threw the contents of the bowl directly into the side of Kevin's face. The vamp leaped away from him and stumbled around holding his face screaming in pain. Eddy grabbed Edd and the two made a break for the door. They were stopped in their tracks when they noticed something large and heavy flying over their heads. The gigantic cross that used to be over by the choir seats was now crashing into the front doors. They turned to see a truly gruesome sight, half of Kevin's face was burned, and smoke emanated from his hands and body which were also burned and blistering. There was a crazed look in his eyes as he flew towards them. Edd scrambled to put up a shield but Kevin got to them first, he pushed Edd out of the way and into a nearby bench, he then wrapped a hand around Eddy's throat to crush his esophagus.

Edd shouted and ran to the splintered mess that use to be a cross. He picked up a sharp piece and jammed it into Kevin's arm. The vamp growled in pain and pushed him away steadily squeezing Eddy's neck. Edd got back on his feet and conjured a fire spell, it caught Kevin off guard and forced him to take a knee, but he wouldn't budge and continued to hold Eddy. Edd became frantic and jumped on Kevin's back kicking, punching, biting him, doing everything he could to get him to let go of his friend. Finally, all semblance of hope left him as he screamed, "I'LL COME WITH YOU, I…. I'LL COME WITH YOU, PLEASE LET HIM GO PLEASE".

Kevin halted for a split second and rose back up nudging Edd off his back, seeing Edd crying and pleading with him was giving him second thoughts, "a little late for that isn't it. Besides what if he comes for you?"

"FOR FUCKS SAKE, WHAT'S HE GOING TO DO? FOLLOW YOU TO YOUR HOME", Edd screamed tears streaming from his eyes. He was desperate and his mannerisms were sloppy but he didn't care, in a single night he had lost his safe haven, lost his sense of security and now he was about to lose his best friend, it was all too much for him to bear. He flung himself at Kevin again, desperately trying to pry his hand off Eddy's neck whose face at this point took on the color of a faint blueberry, "please Kevin, please…I can't lose him please let him go".

Kevin looked over at Eddy who was starting to turn purple, "if you do this, you may never see your precious Eddy ever again".

"At least I'd know he was alive", Edd cried, "at least I…. will no longer be a burden to him". There it was total and complete defeat. Kevin had been waiting for this moment for so long, he willed himself to ignore the pang of guilt dwelling deep inside of him. This was his chance to reunite with his long-lost love and he was not going to waste it. He loosened his grip and Eddy dropped to the floor next to him, he coughed and wheezed as his squeezed in esophagus blocked the passage of air into his lungs. Edd tended to him making sure he was ok. He placed his hand around Eddy's neck and quietly chanted an incantation. The healing spell kicked in and Eddy gasped, taking in large amounts of air but still causing him to cough and sputter up traces of blood. Edd sighed in relief, the spell worked but it was a temporary fix, Eddy was in dire need of a doctor.

The color returned to Eddy's cheeks, and his head felt as though it had to turned backwards as the world around refused to stop spinning. He tried to talk to Edd but all he could get out of his damaged vocal cords was, "wh…what have you done?"

Fresh tears streamed down Edd's face as he looked at his friend for what appears to be the very last time, "I'm sorry Eddy, I'm so sorry. But at least now you'll be free". He gave his best friend a gentle hug and rose to meet Kevin's gaze, "you win, from this day forward…...I'm yours". And just like that they were gone.

Eddy's eyes teared up as his best friend vanished without a trace, "Double D". He went into a coughing fit hacking up spots of blood and spit onto the floor. There was some internal damage going on inside of his throat, he tried to crawl towards the door but only made it halfway before the world around him faded to black.


	4. Chapter 4

A blonde-haired woman stepped out of her home at 1 am to bring in the laundry which was hanging from a clothesline. The dryer her husband brought home was busted and they couldn't get it repaired earlier that day. They now had to wait until Monday to get it fixed by one of her friends who just happened to own a laundry machine repair shop a few blocks away. She whistled a pleasant tune to herself enjoying the quiet that only the night could bring to her. She loved her family but sometimes her daughter could be a handful and her husband could be a pain. Moments such as these gave her a break from the noise riddled world…

"May"

The blonde froze hearing her name being called from the shadowy figure standing just out of reach of the light emanating from the house. She recognized that voice, she hated that voice, it was the same voice that told her how ugly and inadequate she was. it told her how disappointed everyone else in the family was with her being the runt of the litter.

She looked in the direction of the voice and growled, "Marie".

"oh so you actually remembered my name huh stupid", said Marie teasingly.

May moved a bit to the side to block the path between Marie and her home, she eyed her sister warily just waiting for her to try something, "what do you want?"

"you're so mean sometimes", Marie walked a little towards her seemingly unaffected by her sibling's rude behavior, "you don't write, you don't call….."

"CUT TO THE DAMN CHASE," said May getting angrier by the minute, if Marie stepped any closer to her home, she was going to rip her throat out.

Marie's smile faded, a part of her missed the days where she was able to cut her sister's self-confidence to shreds with just mere words, it was one of her favorite pastimes, "we need you back with the pack, Jordan's dead".

May was unfazed by this news, "so".

"What do you mean, so?" asked Marie in outrage, "he's one of our own, and we always look out for our own".

"oh really?" said May, "you're so full of shit Marie, you talk about family and looking out for our own kin but then the minute I needed you to stand by my marrying Ed, you turned on me in a heartbeat".

Now it was Marie's turn to get angry, her golden eyes glowed and she looked as though she could turn at any minute, "you married an outsider, a human no less. What did you expect was going to happen? You're lucky we don't hunt you down".

May holds her stance defiantly, "I expected my own sister to stand by me. Remember Marie I am the only one who knows about Nazz".

Marie growled angrily at her, "keep her out of this,'' she moved towards May in a menacing manner. Her appearance began to morph and contort as her anger grew, "she's one of us, unlike that pathetic sack of meat you shacked up with". Suddenly, Marie walked into something hard and invisible, confused and angry, she rubbed her nose, "what the fuck?" She held out a hand and touched the invisible forcefield, it felt like hard solid concrete and glowed with each touch.

May looked at her bewildered and looked around her to see where the shield was coming from. She then noticed something sitting high on the roof of her house and became even more confused, "is ...is that a glowing pigeon?"

"Ugh, fucking Double D", growled Marie, his frustration building. She took a few swipes at the shield but it would not budge, "Who the hell does he think he is? sticking his fucking nose where it doesn't belong".

"What's good Marie?" said Ed calmly, he exited the house and walked towards them with a large hunting rifle pointed straight at Marie, "mind backing away from my wife".

Marie finally gazed up at him, then at the gun aimed directly at her head, "no doubt filled with silver bullets"

"Dipped in concentrated wolfsbane," said Ed giving her a serious look but speaking to her in a low and even tone, "I just got our daughter to sleep and here you come starting shit with my wife. If I were you I would slowly and quietly respect my wife's wishes and leave the premises".

Marie's demeanor deflated as she started to calm down. She backed away smirked at him, "great job hero, I underestimated you. I guess you're not as dumb as I thought, but don't think this is over". She looked over at May giving her an equally serious look, "Jordan's gone, and they just elected the new leader of the pack. Turns out it's Fang. '' She observed the tension that developed between May and Ed, their demeanor shifted from calm to extremely nervous. Marie smiled fully, "yep our favorite human-hating sociopath is not only back in town but running things. He asked for you directly but I guess I'll have to tell him you're still not interested. Too bad, I wonder what he'll do".

"Marie don't…." said May.

"Don't what? Tell him where you live" said Marie, "wouldn't dream of it, unless you decide within the next couple of days to come back to the pack for Jordan's funeral. Easy right,? You can manage that. `` Marie chuckled a bit, then she leaped into the trees nearby and disappeared without a trace. There was no reason for her to wait for an answer, the message was clear.

May looked at her husband as he put away his rifle. He then glanced at her with a worried expression, "so, what are you going to do?"

"I'll have to go,'' said May sighing in frustration, "it'll keep her or anyone else from coming back. besides I kind of want to know who had the balls to kill Jordan".

"I just got a message from Double D". said Ed as May gathered the basket full of clothes she gathered. He followed her inside, "hence the guardian pigeon".

"Why a pigeon? That's so weird, `` May said as she made her way to the kitchen.

Ed smiled a little but maintained a serious expression, "some real serious shit just went down and we may need to move. The shield will hold out for 3 days". Ed's eyes widened and he stood there stiff as aboard.

May gave him a confused look as he approached her, "honey, what is it?

Ed after a few minutes finally blinked and looked over at May, "I have to go".

"What? Now?" asked May, "it's 1:30 in the morning".

"Eddy's in trouble,'' said Ed putting the rifle down against a wall and putting on his jacket which was hanging on a hook by the door, "he's hurt, I need to get him to a hospital". He then speeds walked over to the front door and left, heading towards his parked car.

May followed him out into the driveway as he started the car, "Are you fucking kidding me? How do you even know that?" Ed wordlessly drove out of the driveway and sped off, leaving May in a state of confusion. She then thought about how robotic Ed's movements were and it suddenly dawns on her, he was being commanded, "fucking Double D, what the hell is going on?"

Meanwhile

Edd awoke to the sight of a golden laced canopy hanging loosely above him. While being whisked away to some unknown location, he had closed his eyes and tried to send a command to Ed telepathically. Somewhere along the way, he must have passed out from the stress of the previous night. The lack of sleep, as well as the trauma of that night, caused him to blackout, the next thing he knew he was here. He moved his feet and was greeted by the cool, soft texture of the sheets. He moved his arms and legs and felt the equally cool smooth texture of silk. He looked down at himself and realized he was wearing a pair of white silk pajamas. They were a little big on him but not so much that they didn't fit altogether. He sat up a little and looked around at the decor of the room. Upon closer inspection, the canopy was actually white and gold. The sheets and comforter were also white, and the bed stand was marbled with gold lining. The room looked like the inside of a roman palace, decorated with marble pillars, white and gold-laced walls and lavished looking furniture, complete with a white fireplace at the end of the room.

"Only the best for my one true love".

Edd's eyes widened, he didn't even notice Kevin was sitting on a chair next to a small table. There was a tray filled with two teacups, a teapot, and an assortment of sweets and tea cakes. Edd stayed perfectly still but looked at the window as one thought entered his mind, " Eddy".

Kevin slammed his teacup hard onto his saucer indicating quietly that Eddy's name was the last thing he wanted to hear. The room fell silent as Edd dreaded what would come next. Kevin slowly rose up and gave Edd a menacing glare, "he's still alive, although that might change depending on you". in a millisecond Kevin was on top of him, pinning his hands above his head. Edd gasped from the sudden motion. his breathing quickens and his heart beats out of his chest as fear closed in on him for the hundredth time that night. He struggled but to no avail, Kevin glared at him, "by the way, jumping out of the window is not an option".

Edd's eyes widened, "h ...how did you…"

"How did I know you were thinking that," said Kevin, "consider it a perk of mine, in addition to immortality. I have always read your thoughts…."

Edd interrupts him outraged, "you have no right to…."

"YOU LEFT ME NO CHOICE", yelled Kevin, his eyes glowed a frightening red hue, forcing Edd to clam up and shudder, "you think I don't know what you and your insolent friends were planning to do. You think I don't know how often you have plotted to get rid of me?" His anger increased as he continued, "you think I don't know about your little crush on Eddy?"

Tears began to resurface in Edd's eyes, "I...I don't…"

"BULLSHIT", said Kevin, he squeezed Edd's wrists as the tension in his demeanor increased, "that's why you were so hurt when he left, that's why you decided to come with me and that is why you long for him so. Even now you're thinking about when you will be able to see your precious Eddy Sampson". The pupils of his eyes disappeared and all Edd could see was red, his voice became demonic as he bore the full brunt of his rage, "THE ONLY THING KEEPING HIM ALIVE IS THAT YOUR LOVE IS ONE SIDED, OTHERWISE I WOULD'VE RIPPED OUT HIS SPINE AND BEAT HIM TO DEATH WITH IT".

"WHAT'S WITH ALL THE YELLING?"

A voice came from behind the door to the room when it opened a man dressed in a black suit and green long hair tied up in a small ponytail walked in with an irritated expression on his face. He stopped in his tracks noticing his master assaulting someone on the bed, "who the hell is this?"

"LEAVE", yelled Kevin, "I wish to be left alone with my beloved Hyacinth".

"Hyacinth?" said the butler looking over at Edd who was shivering in terror pinned underneath Kevin. he quirked an eyebrow at his potentially insane master, "seriously, this guy?".

Kevin released Edd and rose up while still straddling him, "I SAID LEAVE NATHANIAL".

Nat ignored his master's anger-fueled command, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of concern for the frightened stranger pinned underneath Kevin. For some reason he knew that leaving them alone right now was not a good idea, "Master Kevin, the sun will rise soon".

"I don't care,'' said Kevin dismissively.

"Well I do", said Nat, "it's 5 in the fucking morning, Kevin. You need your rest, and so does he for that matter".

Kevin sneered at him and looked down at Edd about to scowl. His demeanor crumbles when he notices the state of his one true love. Edd was now hugging himself and shaking uncontrollably, the sheets under his head were wet with his tears and his hair was disheveled. Tears continued to run down his face and he looked away from Kevin, closing his eyes and stuttering out a whispered chant. Guilt tore its way into the center of the young vamp's heart, yet again he allowed his anger to cause him to lose control. Kevin slowly moved off of him and off the bed, "very well".

He solemnly moved towards Nat at the door, avoiding eye contact by focusing on the door, "show him where the washroom is, he will also need food. Just get him whatever he wants, I will see you both tomorrow night for dinner". He looked back at Edd who had managed to open his eyes, having sensed that the threat was gone for now, "I expect you to attend, that part is non-negotiable". with that he exits the room as quietly as he had come in.

Nat waited for the door to shut before sighing, "christ Kevin". He was sure that his master had officially lost his mind. The poor guy didn't even look like Hyacinthus, who was blond, tall, muscular yet lean and had the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen. He approached the bed and observed Edd as he moved into a sitting position. Edd was cute, lean, a tad shorter than Kevin and himself, had dark blue eyes and short black stringy hair. Nat sat on the bed next to him but decided against touching him and waited for the other male to stop flinching away from him. He gave the other male the best smile he could muster, "it's alright babe, you're safe".

Edd's posture ease for a moment although he still eyed Nat warily, "I...I'm sorry, it's just that I thought…."

"Well you'd be partially right,'' said Nat, "I'm a ghoul".

Edd's posture stiffened once again, "a shape-shifting, flesh-eating demon".

Nat's eyes widened a bit, "you know your monsters".

"I've studied them excessively,'' said Edd hugging his knees to his chest, "I'm assuming that is not your true form".

"You assumed right," said Nat, "and I'm assuming that you're not going to follow me to the washroom".

"You've assumed wrong", Edd slowly slid his body past Nat and off the bed coming up behind him, "I am in serious need of a bath".

Nat smiled fully and rose from the bed, "well aren't you interesting, didn't expect you to trust me so…" he suddenly stopped, feeling every nerve in his body standing on end. The other male stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Nat reached out his hand to the other male and was hit by a strong electrically charged barrier. Pain shot through his hand causing him to retract it and take a step back.

Edd remained where he was and shot him a sympathetic look, "my apologies, but given what has happened to me within the past 8 hours can you really blame me?"

Nat rubs his pained hand while gawking at him in amazement, "you're a witch".

"I don't appreciate the label," said Edd crossing his arms, he has never called himself a witch or anything of that nature. He frowned at Nat, "those names were invented by religious fanatics as an excuse to execute those who they felt either personally wronged them in some unexplained way or was in league with the devil. They are names invented to personify evil intent especially when there was none".

"Well, I'm not sure if that's true or not but ok?" said Nat, "so you have issues with being called that. Fine, what would you prefer?"

"Occultist is fine,'' said Edd moving towards the door, "shall we go? I smell like a wet dog stewing in his own juices".

Nat moved past him still feeling the heat of his shield against his side. he opened the door, "follow me, Mr. Occultist".


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Like the happiest psychopath in the mental ward, Nat smiled maniacally and rang the dinner gong.

"Master! Dinner is prepared!"

The sound traveled throughout the room until it slowly faded into a distant echo. Nat turned and rested the giant gong against a nearby wall before returning to the table and seating himself directly in the middle. The table was long which suited Edd just fine, he would prefer to keep his distance as much as possible. He sat on one end while Kevin sat on the other, Nat held his smile and tried to make small talk, "I love doing that, 50 points go to anyone who can name the movie that just came from". Neither males answered, Kevin patiently ignored him while drinking his blood from a large glass. Edd cut into what looked like a small game hen, roasted with some kind of strange vinegar-like sauce dressing it. He didn't look up from his meal while Nat continued to talk, "um...Rocky Horror Picture Show…..hello? One of the greatest cult classics of all time. Edward, you get what I am talking about right?"

Edd quietly chewed on the piece of meat he was able to cut from the hen, "um….that movie with Tim Curry".

"Yep, that's the one", Nat said with a relieved look on his face, "I knew you were a cinephile".

Kevin took another drink and frowned at Edd, "I tried to visit you an hour ago but to my shock, there seems to be a barrier there. Any particular reason why?"

"You can't be serious,'' said Edd frowning back.

"Am I not entitled to visit my fiance whenever I please,'' said Kevin casually.

Edd choked on the portion of food he was eating and went into a coughing fit. Nat flashed him a nervous look, this was going to get ugly. Edd composed himself and gave Kevin a look of utter shock and horror, "I….I'm sorry…...did you say…..fiance?"

"Yes, fiance, you're my fiance,'' said Kevin confused, "why do you think you're here?"

Edd glared at him, "I am not, nor will I ever be, your fiance".

Kevin was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and rested his glass on the table. He rose and regarded Edd sternly, "If I were you I'd show me some damn respect. I paid 50 million dollars just to get your parent's blessing. It's in your best interest to make it worth my while".

Nat also rose up remaining at his post between them, "uh...perhaps we should discuss this later, maybe after dessert. Say Edd, do you have any food allergies?"

"My parents?" asked Edd, as the situation started to dawn on him, "you paid them to…..you gave them a dowry?"

"A really large one, yes,'' said Kevin, "I paid it forward when you were 16, didn't they tell you?"

Nat tries his hardest to break up the pattern of events unfolding, "We are having chocolate mousse cake ala mode but if you're allergic to peanuts or cocoa I could whip up something…"

"That…...that can't be,'' said Edd in total disbelief, tears welling up in his eyes, "they sold me? TO YOU? HOW COULD THEY?"

Nat shot a quick look to Kevin who donned a look of deep concern, he saw Kevin try to move to Edd's side but stepped in his way, "uh...my lord perhaps you should give….."

Kevin side-stepped him and continued his beeline to his fiance, "I've no idea why they never said anything to you. Regardless of the dowery, you have been mine from the moment I met you centuries ago. Whether you acknowledge it or not, this is our destiny". He expected this as a sign of moderate comfort to the other male, instead Edd raised a hand in front of him and telekinetically launched Kevin off his feet and onto the floor.

Nat's eyes widened and he resisted the urge to approach the distraught male, "N...now honey calm down ...OH SHIT".

The large table they were just eating on rose from the floor and high into the air, Edd broke out in sobs, unable to control his emotions, as sorrow and regret took hold of him, "how could they do this to me? My education, my career, everything is ruined YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" The table flew directly at Kevin who was just beginning to pick himself off the floor, it hit him square on the forehead. A burst of wood and bolts surrounded him as the table broke apart.

Nat stayed right where he was out of sheer fear that he might be next, but instead, Edd turned on his heels and ran out of the dining room still in the thralls of sorrow. Nat relaxed and looked back at Kevin. He sympathized completely with Edd in this situation, Kevin had all the grace and tact of a wrecking ball. Nat approached the other male and sighed, "my lord, is it too much to ask that you give Edd a few days to himself. He needs time to process and decompress".

"WHY THE FUCK AM I THE ONE TO GET A LECTURE?" yelled Kevin outraged, "he destroyed my fucking table".

"You're rich, you can buy another one,'' said Nat unfazed by the outburst, "I have been trying to get you to give him some space, but you just keep….."

Kevin approached him threateningly, "all you've done was get in the way…."

"Kevin, he is not Hyacinthus", said Nat, he stopped himself momentarily noticing Kevin's escalating anger.

"Watch it Nathanial", growled Kevin, "you forget yourself".

"What I meant was, he may have hyacinth's soul but he is not the same," said Nat gently, "this is a completely different person we are dealing with here. Also, he's been through hell and back since yesterday and to top it all off you spring on him that his parents sold him to you. You are relentlessly fucking him over in every emotional way possible, give the poor guy a break". Kevin sighed, partly in disappointment and also in thought over the way he had treated Edd the other night. All he wanted to do was marry his one and only true love, the years of waiting were clearly beginning to take its toll on him. Perhaps it was best that he backed off for a few days.

Nat placed a hand on his shoulder and offered him a soft sympathetic smile, "I get it, you miss him and to some extent, I'm sure he misses you too. But he would be pissed off if he ever found out how you have treated Edd. Give him a few days, I'll do the best I can to calm him down and get him to at least have a civil dinner with you. But for now please, back off". He didn't even wait for his master to respond, he simply walked away and out of the dining room.

Kevin looked in his direction and sighed, he was beginning to regret the series of events that led to this moment. He stood alone in his dining room running through everything in his head and cringing multiple times. He then grinned a bit as his thoughts drifted to another moment in his past.

**Flashback, Europe late 1300's**

The countryside was beautiful, even at night. He stood on the roof of a local pub gazing out at the countryside just outside of the village. Summer nights were always wonderful, warm and filled with the serene sounds of…..

"HALT"

Kevin growled in annoyance, yet another night ruined because of some idiot thief. He peered down at the streets below in time to notice a blond male in his 20's furiously running for his life down the street and passing the pub. The male was half-naked, carrying his shirt in his left arm and dark brown trousers. His hair was loose and unkempt and he was missing his shoes, Kevin grinned watching 2 men barrel down the street hot on the blondes heels. It was a boring night and he had already eaten, so he decided that he might as well take in a show. He floated into the air and followed the blonde by remaining just above the rooftops of the surrounding shops. His smile grew even wider as the blond jetted into a dark alleyway and right into a group of 3 other men. One of them swiftly punched him in the stomach causing the male to fall to the floor. Kevin wondered what this man could have done to deserve their negative attention. He must have slept with the wife of some rich landowner or perhaps insulted a royal.

The other 2 men moved toward the male as he was apprehended by the other three, "vile sodomite, kin of the devil, you have committed countless crimes against God and nature and must be purged from this world".

This got his attention, the man was a sodomite, how fortunate, Kevin's grin grew even wider, his last encounter was fruitless outside the fact that he made for a good meal. Men like this helped him satisfy his sexual hunger, especially if they were willing. His grin disappeared as the 2 men pulled a dagger from his waistband, it was time for him to intervene. He swiftly leaped down and landed between the man with the knife and the blond. He easily twisted the man's wrist and punched him in the face, launching him almost 10 feet outside the alley. The other males freaked out and scattered murmuring words like "demon" or "devil". After they cleared the blond tried to leave as well but was stopped as Kevin grabbed his hand.

The blonde struggled against him, "release me".

"What?" Kevin said eyes glowing in the dark, "do I not get a thank you, or some other show of gratitude". He emphasized this by pulling the blonde to his own body, up close he was able to admire his muscular yet lean tone, his tanned skin, and handsome chiseled features. He was a foot taller than Kevin but that only added to his appeal. However, what made Kevin's heart skip a beat were the clear light blue eyes as the other male glared at him.

"My soul belongs to my lord, you shall not take me,'' he shouted in surprise as Kevin backs him up against a nearby wall, "RELEASE ME DEMON".

"I'm no demon,'' said Kevin pressing his crotch against the blonde's, "I merely require payment for my services, I will take what is owed to me".

"No villain", the blonde continued to struggle refusing to give in, "I will not yield to your advances, my body and my heart belong to another on earth and hereafter".

Kevin laughs and placed a gentle kiss on the neck of the other, "beings of our stock only understand the joys of the flesh. There's nothing for you in the hereafter but fire and brimstone. So you might as well enjoy the small pleasures of the earth while you still can".

"YOU'RE WRONG" suddenly Kevin was launched from the blond and collided with the wall behind him. Tears began to stream down his face as he angrily glared at Kevin who could only stare back at him in shock. The blond wipes his face with the back of his hand and continues to glare, "YOU only understand the joys of the flesh, beings of your stock know nothing of the matters of the heart. My preferences do not and will not dictate my faith. Now away with you demon", he swiped his hand to the left side causing Kevin to be launched yet again.

This time he was thrown outside of the alleyway, he skidded across the dirt road before landing on his right side. After a moment of shock, he turned his head slightly to look at the alleyway, but the blond had disappeared.

**Flashback end**

Kevin looks over at the destroyed table, "I refused to believe that Edd isn't Hyacinthus", he said to himself as he moved back over to the place he landed. This moment mirrored the first day he met Hyacin, this meant that he was in there somewhere just waiting to come out. Despite this he made up his mind to take Nat's advice, he was right, after all, Hyacin would kill him if he found out that he mistreated an innocent. Kevin sighed and continued to look over at the pile of wood, he then became annoyed and turned toward the entrance of the dining room, "THAT JACKASS OWES ME ANOTHER TABLE".


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Edd cried into his pillow, he couldn't take it anymore. He was having the worst collection of days of his life. It was like an overwhelming storm of shit just kept piling on top of him as each moment was worse than the last. After a while, he stopped crying and turned over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He thought of Eddy, wondering how he is doing in all of this, he thought of his parents and immediately felt sick to his stomach. Then again he figured that this should have been no surprise, his parents really were selfish, self-serving assholes. All they cared about was their research and getting funding for said research. They were always broke and teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Lab facilities, transportation, mortgage payment all added up, science was expensive, and there were many times where they would go off on another research trip and leave Edd all alone to fend for himself. They missed every birthday, new years, Thanksgiving, seemingly refusing to spend any time with their own son.

"_Looks like they finally got what they wanted, no kid to hold them back and 50 million dollars for their research."_

Edd couldn't help the fresh tears welling up in his eyes as bitterness invaded his heart. He wiped his eyes and took a long deep breath, he needed to calm himself down, he needed to figure out what his next step will be. Kevin was right, there was no way he could escape out the window. He got up from the bed slowly and made his way to the window, there was nothing but darkness, endless amounts of water and really sharp rocks below. He knew just by looking that he didn't have enough bedsheets to construct a makeshift rope.

"Perhaps a levitation spell or a teleportation spell might work".

Edd gasped and turned to see Nat standing at the doorway keeping a healthy distance between himself and the ravenette. The other male simply stood there and glared at him, not really saying a word.

Nat pulled a white napkin out of his pocket and waved it in the air, "I come in peace. You didn't finish your dinner so I brought you some leftovers from the kitchen". Edd didn't say anything to him, so Nat continued, "don't worry, you don't have to come back down, I brought a tray". After a moment he turned and left the room briefly before returning with a large tray of chicken, potatoes and a small slice of chocolate cake on the side. He quietly brought it in and rested the tray on the coffee table. He then reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a silver flask, "wasn't sure you were a drinker or not but I brought some bourbon". Edd simply leaned against the window frame and continued to eye him suspiciously. Nat smiled a bit, "I'm just going to rest it on the tray here". As he did so he waited for a response before continuing, "mind if I sit?"

"Yes," Edd protested quietly.

"Well I'm going to anyway,'' said Nat, he sat down in the chair in front of the table and took off his shoe, "I've been on my feet all day and my dogs are barking".

"What do you want?" said Edd

Nat turned his head towards Edd and stood up again. He approached Edd by the window causing the other male to back up a bit. Nat stopped halfway realizing that if he went any further Edd might take his chances with the rocks and ocean below. Nat then bowed before Edd and kept his head down as the other male stared at him in shock, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for what your parents did to you, I'm sorry my master's a douchebag, and I'm sorry you had to go through all of this". He raised himself and made his way back to the chair to sit down again, "getting an apology out of Kevin is like pulling teeth from an alligator, dangerous and almost impossible. So I figured I'd do it on his behalf".

After what seemed like forever he could hear Edd slowly approaching him. He circled around Nat and sat on the other chair by the coffee table. He was now facing to face with the ghoul and not really sure what to say. So he said the only thing he could think of, "thank you".

"No problem", Nat smiled and held out the flask to him.

To Nat's surprise, Edd took the flask, opened it and downed a good amount before handing it back to Nat. Nat smirked, "wow, you're just full of surprises".

"I needed liquid courage", said Edd wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "I just have one question".

Nat took a drink from the flask also and shot him another smile, "shoot".

"Why me?" asked Edd with a serious expression on his face, "why is he so determined to call me Hyacinthus? Why does it have to be me?"

"It's because his soul is inside of you," said Nat casually leaning back into the chair, "it's a very long story".

"I'm not going anywhere", said Edd blandly, "so you might as well tell me".

Nat chanced another look at Edd before gesturing to the food on the tray, "your dinners getting cold. I'll tell you everything you need to know once you eat".

"I'm not hungry," said Edd miserably.

"Oh come on," said Nat in a begging tone, "at least try the desert, I made it from scratch".

Edd sighed and looked over at Nat who regarded him with pleading eyes. Nat was being nice to him, unlike some people. He was the only one in the castle who understood what he was going through and tried to at least make him feel comfortable. Edd looked down at the chocolate dessert and decided to have a taste. It was delicious and put a small smile on his face, "you made this from scratch?"

Nat beamed with pride, "yep, I was a chef back when I was alive".

"When was this?" asked Edd, taking another piece.

"Back in the roaring 20's", Nat answered taking another drink from his flask.

Edd stopped himself mid-bite and looked back at him concerned, "did…..did he….?"

Nat's eyes widened and waved away his worries, "no, no, no, I sold my soul to a demon"

Edd's eyes widened and he paused for a moment, "why?

Nat chuckled, "eternal life, eternal youth, to save my boyfriend from terminal disease".

"I see," said Edd.

Nat took another drink from his flask before looking off into the distance. He remembered that day vividly, the sorrow of watching his lover slowly waste away, how desperate he was to save him and the horror of what he did, "I knew a guy who had the ability to conduct summoning spells. He didn't really care why I needed it, as long as I paid him that's all that really mattered". He looked over at Edd again who had stopped eating and looked back at him sympathetically, "what? You ever do a summoning spell?"

"No," said Edd sternly, "I never had a reason to and those kinds of spells are too risky to pull off. What if you ended up summoning something more powerful then whoever you originally wanted or you lose control of the demon you actually summoned. The consequences are simply not worth the risk".

"But he was", said Nat in a serious tone, Edd could tell at that moment he had touched a nerve.

"I'm sorry", said Edd, "I didn't mean to sound insensitive".

Nat sighed and leaned back in his chair, "it's fine, Honestly, even though I save his life it ultimately turned out to be a waste of time. I can't die, and even if by chance someone figures out how to kill me, I could never join him. Unless there's a reincarnated version of him out there somewhere".

"You honestly think so", asked Edd, he was getting comfortable around Nat, he's surprisingly easy to talk to.

Nat quirked an eyebrow at him, "you're not the only one on earth who reincarnates".

"I know", said Edd, "although it does feel as though I am the only one who believes in it".

"Wrong again", said Nat, "however, you are the only one who was able to fully retain his memory of a past life or at least you were. Most people can only get passing glimpses of theirs.

Edd relaxed in his chair by leaning back into it, "I have to be honest, I really can't remember anything. Don't you think it's unfair, it's like I am expected to be someone I know nothing about"? He sighs miserably and takes another drink from the flask. Nat takes it away from him before he gets the chance to finish it. Edd grimaced at him for a moment allowing the alcohol to dull his senses, "that psycho has the nerve to make demands of me. You know I first met him when I was 15, he killed our next-door neighbor. I caught him gnawing on her neck like she was a ripened peach.."

"Look Edd I get that….." Nat starts to say before he is interrupted.

"Please don't say you understand", said Edd frowning at him, "I'm sure you've seen him kill many times, but at that moment, watching every ounce of blood drain out of her poor body, I simply couldn't understand what he was much less why he did that to her. My brain just shut off and I just could not comprehend what I was looking at. As soon as he saw me, he dropped her, like she was nothing, just a walking talking juice box". His voice drifted off as fresh tears welled up in his eyes.

Nat inched closer to him, he wanted to comfort him but wasn't sure Edd would let him, "oh sweetie, I had no idea". Nat reached into his pocket and handed him a handkerchief.

Edd accepted it and wiped a few of his tears, "she lived next to us since before I was born, she knew how neglectful my parents were, so whenever she visited she would play games with me or bring me treats, whenever my friends and I went off to school, she was always looking out for us. She'd invite us over sometimes to play with her daughters, give us tons of candy on Halloween, invite us over on Christmas or Thanksgiving, she was always so nice to us. After she died, her ex-husband came and took her daughters away, I had nightmares for weeks, the only ones who kept me from going crazy were Ed and…..Eddy". He wiped a few more tears from his face remembering his friends.

Nat eyed him sympathetically, "I know this may not mean anything to you right now, but trust me when I say, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are comfortable and safe. I think it's unfair too and I also think my master has slowly gone insane throughout the centuries".

"You mean he wasn't always like that?" Edd frowned.

"Course not," said Nat smiling at him, "the man you saw downstairs is desperately in love and has been for an extremely long time. When Hyacinth was at his death bed he placed a spell on himself".

Edd gave him a confused look, "he knew magic?"

Nat nodded, "he felt he was gifted with it by god. According to Kevin, he often used it to try and "banish the demon back to hell". But after a few years of fighting the two actually fell in love with one another".

"How?" asked Edd truly bewildered, "how could someone with such a strong belief in god fall in love with that beast".

"No clue", said Nat, "I ended up serving him because I needed the job, I worked for him for the past 80 years and I still haven't cracked that mystery. All I know is that somehow he got hyacinth to love him enough to cast that spell. It would ensure that no matter who he comes back as he will always remember his love for Kevin, he promised him that their love will last for all eternity".

Edd fell silent for a moment trying to digest what he just heard, after a while, he broke the silence, "one more question for the night before the potion you just made me drink kicks in".

Nat's eyes widened wondering how Edd was able to detect it, "uh..ok".

Edd yawned trying to stay awake, "if the spell allows hyacinth to always remember his past life in order to carry on his relationship with Kevin, then why don't I remember anything?"

"Because Hyacin soul is moving on '', said Nat, "the first hundred or so years he had all of his memories. Sometimes he'd reunite with Kevin as a child and would wait until he came of age to be with him, sometimes he found Kevin as a teen, or a different race, a different gender, hell he even managed to find Kevin when he was an elderly old woman. Kevin sensed him in America back in the early 1800s, which is how he ended up here from Europe. However, recently he has slowly been losing his memory, each time he comes back it takes longer and longer for him to recognize Kevin. Last 100 years he found it next to impossible to find Hyacinth's soul".

"So Hyacin is moving on", said Edd, "therefore the spell is wearing off"

"Looks like it", said Nat eyeing him closely, he could tell the potion was kicking in, "he probably had no idea there was even an expiration date. You know about the spell?"

"I've read up on it but I never looked into the details", said Edd, "I am aware of reincarnation but mostly from those who theorized on it in the past. It's said that when we pass our souls are reborn into a brand new body. Depending on how old the soul determines the number of times it is allowed to come back. However, after a while, our souls will begin to transition to the next plane of existence, which most people believe is either heaven or hell. If the spell is wearing off then that means that he may have either transitioned or is about to. He might just have one foot in the afterlife and another in the land of the living".

"But that's just your theory," said Nat, he gets up from his seat and holds out his hand to Edd, "you're going to need help getting to bed".

Edd slowly tries to get up but falls into Nat's arms when the room decided it would rather turn upside down, "next time you decide to give me something like this warn me first".

Nat smiled as he brought Edd to the bed and laid him down onto the soft mattress, "I wasn't lying when I said that I wanted to make you as comfortable as possible, that includes drugging you to get you to sleep".

"At least help me into my pajamas", said Edd losing consciousness, "don't…...don't want to….s….sleep in...my clothes".

"Am I allowed to dress you?" said Nat

"Yes", said Edd laying his head on the pillow and closing his eyes, "dress me…..so...unsanitary".

Nat chuckled for a bit and began to undress Edd. it wasn't too much of a hassle, he was strong enough to lift the smarter male, slipping him into his pajamas shouldn't be too hard. While he worked he thought of what Edd had said.

"_After a while, our souls will begin to transition to the next plane of existence, which most people believe is either heaven or hell. If the spell is wearing off then that means that he may have either transitioned or is about to"_

"Poor Kevin", said Nat softly, a part of him really did sympathize with his master. All this trouble and headache will be for nothing if Hyacin is no longer with them. However, if Hyacin moves on then perhaps Kevin will be able to as well, perhaps Edd will be the one to break the cycle. Nat smiled at Edd as he reached for the pajamas laying on the bed, he was starting to like Edd. He found the other male to be rather interesting and couldn't wait to see what the young occultist will do next.

**Meanwhile**

Kevin sat in his comfy chair in the middle of his large lavishly decorated living room with a roaring fireplace in front of him. He was relaxed for a while but he couldn't help reminiscing on the past. He found that he was doing that a lot lately, in fact, he's been flashing in and out of the past since he first laid eyes on Edd. He couldn't figure out why perhaps it was because he was so close to getting his Hyacin back or perhaps it was something else he couldn't quite place.

**Flashback**

Hyacinth sat on the floor of a hot prison cell reciting his prayers, after about a month on the run, leaving the village, going into hiding in the home of an acquaintance and making sure he stayed away from most of the towns which were heavily populated he was finally caught. The family of his former lover called for his execution. They wanted every trace of him wiped from the rich heir's life. At that point he was glad to have been free from this world, the one he thought was his love had married a noblewoman and would rather resign himself to a life of luxury and status rather than running away with him. He stopped his prayer when he heard the sound of a scuffle outside of his cell. Then came the sound of bones breaking, bodies hitting the floor and animalistic noises. He knew exactly who it was, he went back to his prayer, even louder than before hoping that would repel the creature heading towards him.

"Praying does not work on me, Hyacinth".

The blond flinched but continued to pray, the sound of the door being broken off its hinges was heard as he closed his eyes and raised his voice.

"Come Hyacin, let us leave this place," said Kevin approaching him.

"No," said Hyacinth stopping his prayer to glare up at Kevin, "why have you come here? Why won't you leave me be?"

"You should be thanking me", said Kevin grinning at him.

Hyacinth's eyes lowered to Kevin's hands which were covered in blood, "Is there no end to your depravity? Have you no conscience? They were human beings….."

"Who have been hired to take your head", said Kevin, "the mere thought of you disgusts them, no matter where you go, you will always be seen as disgusting and unholy. You are a sodomite, my love, I am the only one who will ever love you".

"You're crazy", said Hyacinth, "you talk of love, but all you ever do is lust after me. I reject your love as well as your assistance".

"You will die here Hyacin", Kevin said becoming agitated.

"Then I will be with God", said Hyacinth, "and as far away from you as possible".

Kevin growled in anger and swiped at the chains attached to Hyacinth's hands and feet. They instantly broke apart and freed the blond. However that did not save him from Kevin wrath, "GOD, GOD, GOD, GOD, do you ever speak of anything else but God?" Kevin asked. He grabbed Hyacin by the chin forcing him to look up at him, "you constantly look to the man in the sky, WHAT OF THE MAN IN FRONT OF YOU?"

Hyacinth glares at him defiantly, "there is no man in front of me, only a beast".

Kevin roared in anger and he pushed Hyacinth's face away from him causing him to fall to the floor. Kevin stomped toward the entrance of the cell but stopped to growl out something, "very well you fool, I will leave you to your precious god". Rejected, hungry and pissed off, Kevin storms out from the cell and went after the first guard he saw. He attacked the poor man and angrily ripped his throat out. As he feasted he could hear Hyacin returning to his loud prayers which struggled to drown out the sounds of teeth against flesh.

**Present-day**

Kevin grinned a little at the memory and wondered if the sudden trips down memory lane were Edd's doing. He really couldn't tell, all he knew was that he was starting to enjoy it. He closed his eyes and relaxed hoping to get a new memory out of it. He hoped it was a good one this time, he really didn't want another one from the days where his beloved hated him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ed hated hospitals, the stench of death and illness in the air, the sick patients walking around coughing and wheezing around him, and the sight of his half-dead friend laying in the bed in front of him with what seemed like at least 10 types of tubes and wiring attached to almost every hole on his head and arms. He relaxed into his chair and tried to process what the doctor had told him an hour prior.

"_**He's in stable condition right now, he has sustained massive injuries to his esophagus, lungs, and ribcage. He hasn't woken up yet so we put him on a respirator for now. An officer will be by shortly to ask you a few questions".**_

Ed sighed and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling, he would have to call in sick tomorrow, there was no way that he'd be able to make it in to work at this rate, "dammit, how did you even get here?" he was referring to his unconscious friend in the bed. He knew that Eddy was dating someone but he didn't know it would lead to this. It was clear to him what happened, Kevin must have finally gotten to Double D and Eddy stupidly stood in his way. A part of him was actually very angry at Eddy, it felt like if he hadn't abandoned Double D in his time of need this wouldn't have happened. Now they had two issues to deal with, getting his raven-haired friend back and making sure his family doesn't get caught up in the hellish drama resulting from Eddy's fuck up with the werewolves.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement on the bed. When he looked up he noticed Eddy's eyes fluttering open and regarding his surroundings in a half-lidded gaze, "w...where.." his voice came in a gargled whisper, barely audible had the room not been quiet and shut off from the rest of the floor.

"You're in the hospital", said Ed flatly.

Eddy slowly turned his head in Ed's direction, "Doub….D….kid...ped".

"Yeah, no shit", said Ed again flatly, he didn't bother to hide his frustration with the situation, to which Eddy kind of brought this on himself.

Eddy's breathing was waspy but frequent due to the machine, a tear rolled out of one of his eyes as he looked at Ed pleadingly, "so….ry…..my….fault…."

Ed's expression softened a bit, Eddy's remorse had finally broken through his defenses, "we'll get him back. Kevin's not going to hurt someone he claims to love, so I guess he's a lot safer wherever he is then he is with us apparently". He wasn't 100% sure about that statement but it made him feel at least a little better about this cluster-fuck of a situation. He hoped that statement was at least partially true, in the meantime, he had an injured friend to attend to.

**Meanwhile**

Marie finally made her way back to her turf and through the compound. The compound itself consisted of large motor homes so all she had intended to do was find hers and turn in for the night. Her pack was supposed to take off the following morning, they never stayed in one area for more than a day or two but this was a special occasion. Their old leader was gone and their new leader had decided they should stick around for now. When she looked ahead of her she could see a large crowd gathered in front of what looked like a burning tree. Some members of the clan were cheering, others simply stared at the flames in horror. Marie slowly pushed her way through the crowd to see what everyone was staring at. When she finally got to the front of the crowd her heart sank into her shoes. There was a burned body strapped to the tree, it's mouth opened as if it were still screaming as the fire continued to roast the poor soul. The last bits of flesh slide off its bony shoulders like tissue paper sliding off a mannequin. The bits of clothing left to burn on its body were easily recognizable, but what really got to Marie was the all too familiar scent, "Lee…..LEE". She cried out causing the crowd to disperse a little as she fell to her knees. The shock of the scene in front of her caused her to stare at the corpse and scream, "NO, LEE. What have you done? ..LEE". Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her and dragged her from off the floor and back into a standing position. Tears finally flowed from her eyes as she struggled against her captors, "let go of me, WHY? WHY DID YOU DO THIS?"

"Because she's a traitor to our pack", said the voice of Fang heading towards her. He looked to be in his early 20's, he had white hair with black highlights and wore what looked like the pelt of a skinned wolf around his torso. Its head looked to be skinned also and hollowed out to be dawned on his head like a helmet. The pelt looked and smelled like a recent kill, in fact, there was still blood dripping from it and sliding down his chest and head. Purple eyes regarded her coldly as he approached her, "now that I think of it, she's not the only one to betray us".

"But….I ...I didn't betray you", said May, her demeanor turning from anger to fear, "Bethlehem said…"

"Bethlehem said a lot of shit, but none of that matters now, does it?" said Fang, he then turned to the crowd, "He allowed a lot of shit to pass under the false pretense that it will keep our pack safe. He only ever wanted to keep the peace and by doing so he systematically neutered our entire clan". Most of the werewolves cheered at this prompting him to continue, " he allowed your sister May to marry a human, he turned a blind eye to Lee's cheating ways, and even allowed you to fuck a huntress endangering the lives of our entire community".

"HOW DARE YOU", screamed Marie in anger, "she sacrificed her life to save our pack, she even kept our location a secret from the other hunters and you have the fucking nerve to…."

Fang interrupted her, "she was a witch, humans with powers can not be trusted. She would have had to betray us eventually. It was an unneeded risk to our very way of life. His son, Jordan, was just as weak and foolish as his father and twice as incompetent as a leader. He had knowledge of a vampire and a witch living in our town for years and didn't even think to notify us. We could have left this area years ago if it weren't for him, I'm glad they're both dead. I don't know about you guys but I am tired of allowing the other races to walk all over us. It's time to get our balls back boys and take what is rightfully ours". This time all of the werewolves there cheered. Fang grinned maliciously at Marie, "and that starts with you…...well actually that started with Lee and will end with May. By the way, thanks for delivering my message". A large rectangular black case was presented to fang seemingly out of nowhere. The blond female wolf presenting it smirked at Marie earning her a glare. The she-wolf was the one who originally wanted to expose Marie's relationship with Naz and now she was determined to be the last nail in her coffin.

"You fucking bitch", Marie said referring to the she-wolf, "Lora, Naz saved your life, and this is how you repay her".

Lora shrugged and wrapped an arm around Fang, "Fang is right Marie, we've been weakened. Hunting woodland animals in the shadows, forming alliances with those who are clearly beneath us and allowing you and your sisters to bang those outsides of our clan polluting our gene pool. Come on Marie, Bethlehem had clearly lost his damn marbles. Because of May we probably have a few half-bred freaks running around, and we can not have that, surely you've seen this coming". She opens the case revealing a large dagger lined in red velvet. The dagger had a black leather handle, the blade was curved, dawning jagged edges on top of it and sharpened edges underneath. It would not only pierce her body but also probably take a few organs along with it. There was a black glove on the dagger which Fang gingerly picked up.

He put the glove on and used his gloved hand to pick up the dagger. He then pressed the blade of it against his palm watching with almost sexual delight as it sizzled and burned against his skin, "100% pure silver, just for you Marie". He turned to the other wolves and held the dagger into the air, "let today mark the end of Bethlehem's foolish pacifist way of life and Jordan's mediocre rule. Come forth the beginning of our journey to honor and glory". He glanced back at Marie who continued to struggle in the grasp of her captures and raised the dagger over his head. As he brought it down toward Marie's chest a bright light flashed out of nowhere blinding everyone in the area.

Marie closed her eyes in a combination of pain and shock as her captures released her to cover their own eyes. Marie fell to the floor screaming, "WHAT THE FUCK?!" She suddenly found herself being yanked and dropped into a completely different area. The smell of leather and potpourri invaded her senses causing her to gag. She blindly reached out to touch her surroundings since she was obviously blind, "what's going on?"

"Don't worry, you're safe now".

Marie turned her head toward the gentle baritone voice to her left side. She reached left to try and grab at the person speaking but instead was thrust backward into what felt like seat cushions. This was followed by the sound of an engine running and the rumbling beneath her, "am….am I in a car?"

"Yep, we're getting you out of here".

"What am I doing in a car? Said Marie confused and grasping at the seat cushions she was sitting in as the vehicle picked up in speed, "who are you?"

"Oh, how rude of me, my name is Jimmy and this is Sarah".

"For fuck sake Jimmy, why don't you give her our fucking shoe sizes while you're at it".

Marie recognized these two, they were the ones who tried to hunt her down when they first met, "shit, you're from the coven aren't you?"

She could hear the annoyance in Sarah's voice as she responded, "don't get the wrong idea, we're not doing this for you, we're doing this because it's what Naz would have wanted".

"Would she also want me to be blind for the rest of my life?" asked Marie snarkily, this earned her a slam to the side of the car door as Sarah purposely turned a sharp corner.

"Listen bitch", said Sarah but she was quickly interrupted.

"We're sorry about that", said Jimmy, "the blindness is only temporary, the spell will wear off in the next 24 hours".

"24 HOURS", yelled Marie trying to center herself in the seat, "you mean I'm stuck like this until tomorrow?"

Sarah rolled her eyes but kept them on the road, "just be glad you're still alive".

Jimmy peered at Marie through the rearview mirror with concern, "she's just scared".

"Oh yeah right", said Marie defiantly, "Like I'd be scared of you two dorks".

"That's not what I meant", said Jimmy in a serious tone, "Bethlehem and Jordan are dead, there's no one to protect you and your sisters. The alliance is broken and it looks like things will only get worse from here".

Marie stared at the blurred images in front of her for a while allowing herself a quiet moment. "_Lee, I didn't even get to mourn her death_", thought Marie as she slowly wrapped her arms around herself and sank further into the car seat, "they took out Lee and now because of me, they're going to get May".

"I'm sorry for your loss", said Sarah suddenly, the three lapsed into yet another quiet moment before Sarah sighed again, "looks like we're going to have to pick up Ed and the family. Fuck...what a time for Double D to go a wall, we need him now more than ever".

"Well he's not actually a part of our coven, Sarah", said Jimmy, "so you can't blame him for…."

"HE'S A FUCKING WITCH GODDAMIT", yelled Sarah, "therefore he's a part of our coven whether he likes it or not". Sarah's eyes teared up a little, remembering her last encounter with the smarter male. Needless to say, it did not go as well as she had previously hoped, "where the hell are you Double D?"

**The next day**

Edd slept great last night, normally he would have been worried about being drugged into a slumbering state, unsure if he will ever wake up but he was fairly confident that he wouldn't be harmed. He opened his eyes slightly sensing the presence of someone roaming about in his room. He grinned a little and yawned, stretching out his arms, "can I skip breakfast today Nat? I just want to sleep in".

"Afraid not hyacinth", came the voice of Kevin seemingly out of nowhere.

Edd's eyes popped open and he raised up to see who was in his room, "you? W...why are you in my room?"

Kevin sat in the chair next to the table where a tea set sat along with some biscuits, "Nat's still sleeping so I decided to bring you breakfast".

Edd glared at him and slowly rose from the bed into a sitting position, "shouldn't you be a smoking pile of ash by now?"

"It's 6 in the morning", said Kevin, "the sun is just starting to rise, so I've got time. I do get tired, so I will be retreating to my place of rest soon".

Edd eyed him suspiciously and looked over to the windows which had the curtains drawn. He held up his hands toward the curtains and moved them apart. The curtains opened suddenly revealing that it was still a little dark out. He opened the curtains even wider, "did you come to watch the sunrise with me? You can sit right here next to me".

"You are a funny one Edward Vincent", said Kevin getting up from his seat and heading towards the door. If he was still there when the sun rose he really would be in trouble especially since the light would engulf the bed as well as the bedroom door, "I came to discuss what happened last night".

"I am so not in the mood to discuss what happened last night," said Edd plainly

"You're powers," said Kevin ignoring Edd's protest, "were you always able to launch tables at people or is that something you just learned to ruin my night?"

"I was born with my abilities, I got them from my mother", said Edd glancing at the window as if willing it to rise faster.

"Interesting," said Kevin, also keeping an eye on the window, "she wouldn't happen to be a member of the coven of wayward souls?"

Edd froze for a bit before quickly recovering, "I….I've never heard of them".

Kevin smiled, the other male was clearly lying and rather poorly. He leaned against the door and stared at Edd for a while, this being who claimed to not be his beloved. He found himself wondering about just who exactly is Edward Vincent, "it doesn't matter to me whether you are a part of their coven or not, my curiosity was getting the better of me". He pushed off from the door and moved over to Edd to sit on his bed, no longer fearful of the coming sun. Edd stared at him in silence as if waiting for another attack, but instead Kevin's features softened and he cupped Edd's chin with one hand, "I'm sorry".

Edd stared at him wide-eyed, "w...what did you say?"

Kevin removed his hand and stood up seeing the sun beginning to peek over the horizon. He walked toward the door but stopped. His demeanor seemed completely different from the way it was the previous night. In fact, this was the first time Edd had ever seen him this remorseful, "I said that…..I'm sorry about last night. That is not the behavior one should portray to the one they love. I did not consider your feelings and for that, I owe you my deepest apology".

Edd looked over at him and got up from the bed, now might be his first chance to appeal to him, "Kevin, I accept your apology. But you have to accept that I might not be who you think I am". He stopped himself as he noticed Kevin's stature began to stiffen, he looked back out the window as more sunlight began to filter the room. From where he stood he should be able to cover Kevin from the sun's rays. He looked back at Kevin, determined to not let this moment go to waste "if you want, perhaps I can do a conjuring for you. Maybe if you take me back home I could gather the materials needed to reunite you with….."

"The sun is out," Kevin said quietly dismissing Edd's plea, "I must retire, enjoy your breakfast", and with that, he opened the door and left the room.

Edd's hopes were deterred but not shattered, Kevin at the very least heard him out. Considering what he heard about Kevin's situation, he started to think that maybe this required a more subtle approach. Simply demanding for his release or even pleading for his freedom isn't enough. Perhaps all he needed to do was show Kevin that he is not Hyacinth. Then maybe he'd let him go, it was a long shot but it was the only thing he could think of that wouldn't involve either him killing the vamp or the vamp killing Eddy or anyone else who would come looking for him. The grumbling in his stomach practically led him to the tray of tea biscuits still waiting for him on the table. He sighed and went over to grab a bite to eat as well as think about how he would approach Kevin later tonight.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**5 Years ago**

Marie stared up at the clear blue sky as she laid down on the fresh green grass underneath her. The sun was bright and warm against her skin, the wind was blowing but it was warm and inviting and the person laying against her chest was the same. Marie smiled as her lover began to stir from her nap. Suddenly an umbrella poofed into existence covering both of them from the sun.

Marie frowned a bit, "you know I kind of like the feel of the sun against my skin".

"Well I don't" said the short haired blond grin up at her, "too much sun is bad for you".

"This again?" said Marie smiling, " don't you have a spell to cure skin cancer or something?"

"Um...no", said the blond while closing her eyes, "I don't have a spell for everything, besides who would give themselves skin cancer only to create a spell to get rid of it. I'd rather not, thank you very much".

The two were quiet for a while, seemingly plagued with thoughts of the day that transpired, Marie eventually broke the silence, "hey Naz?"

"Hm?" said Naz, keeping her eyes closed.

Marie paused for a while to collect her thoughts before continuing, "Is this really ok?"

"Is what ok?" asked Naz

"This? What we're doing?" asked Marie, "I mean sure we have the peace treaty with the coven but not everyone is on board with that".

Naz sat up and looked down at the blue-haired woman coyly, "true, it's like that at the coven too. My friends have been giving me a lot of shit over dating a werewolf lately., but I think they're just jealous that I was able to land such a sexy bitch".

Marie rolled her eyes before regarding her seriously, "you're really not worried that the coven or some jerk in my pack might do something stupid and launch the two sides into an all-out war".

Naz shrugged, "well we haven't had that happen since medieval times, even with the rivalry I don't think Bethlehem wants to risk the lives of those in the pack. That's the whole reason for the treaty. If we were to fight now, the casualties on both ends would be ridiculously high". She turns and straddles Marie's lap, "so no, I'm not worried unless something happens to Bethlehem or Jordan, then we're pretty much fucked".

Marie wraps her arms around her lover's thin waist, "you are way too relaxed about this".

"You want to know why?" asked Naz, she then leaned in and gave her girlfriend a gentle kiss. She kissed Marie a bit longer before pulling away and gazing into her eyes, "it's because I really don't care about what happens to our tribes. All I care about is you. Whatever happens, I know we'll be ok".

"You sure about that?" asked Marie, quirking an eyebrow.

"First sign of trouble, I'm getting you the hell out of here", said Naz, she wraps her arms around Marie's neck and plants another kiss on her lips. She pulls away and presses her forehead to her girlfriend's, "we could run off to Nebraska, or Oklahoma or some other place with lots of farmland…"

Marie starts laughing, "oh my god, I am not living on a fucking farm".

Naz sticks out her bottom lip in a mock pout, "oh come on please babe, I've always wanted to live on a farm".

"Where would we get farm animals?" asked Marie.

"Babe, I could literally conjure some for you right now", said Naz jokingly, this caused Marie to laugh. Naz smiles, "I am dead ass seriously, I can conjure a cow for you right now".

"HEY WAKE UP, WE'RE HERE".

**Present**

Marie was jolted out of her slumber by Sarah's voice. She looked in the direction of the voice but remembered why that would be useless, "oh yeah, still blind". Sitting next to her was May holding her daughter who had also allowed the lulling movement of the vehicle to put her to sleep. The car pulled up to a giant redwood tree, its humongous fat roots seemed to dig into the ground like fingers digging into the sand and its leafy top spread out like the world's largest umbrella. The tree was 12 stories tall and seemed to be climbing towards the sky as if to sweep away the stars.

The sound of movement on her right side caused her to turn towards that direction, "uh, are we sure this is the place?" Both the scent and the voice belonged to May, they had picked up her and her daughter an hour prior and had made a phone call to her husband making sure he was ok and giving him the directions to the coven.

"Well duh, it is our coven", said Sarah opening the door for Marie, she left the door open and made her way towards the tree.

"Oh no, don't bother helping me or anything", said Marie sarcastically, "I'm only BLIND, it's not like I can't see where I'm going".

Jimmy walked around the car to Maries' side and helped her out of the car, "seriously Sarah". His girlfriend didn't answer him, instead, she held her hands out in front of her. The symbol of an arch with a star in the middle of it glowed in her palms. After a few moments, the same symbol appeared on the front of the tree in front of her. Sarah then lowered her hands but the arch with the star remained on the tree, a glowing line separated one half of the star from the other. The magical entrance opened on its own waiting for them to walk through.

Sarah looked over at May who was holding her sleeping daughter in her arms, "you sure Ed knows where we are?"

"You better send a locator spell," said May, "you know how your brother is".

"Yep", said Sarah sighing, "I'll get on that". She turned to Jimmy and Marie who were making their way towards them, "I'm going to speak with Minerva, take them to their rooms".

Marie quirked an eyebrow as she allowed JImmy to lead her inside the coven, "we have a room?"

"We have plenty of rooms", said Jimmy as the doors closed and locked behind them, "they're upstairs though, I may have to carry you". Marie didn't object as he hoisted her onto his back piggyback style and they headed upstairs.

Sarah watched them ascend the wooden varnished stairs, and looked around her noticing that no one seemed to be up. The coven used to be a schoolhouse built in the late 1800s, however throughout the centuries, like a tree, it grew larger and larger. Now it was a tremendously spaced mansion that not only doubled as a schoolhouse but a dormitory and safe haven for wayward witches. Sarah made her way through the dark hardwood floor of the lobby and through the double doors on the other side. This led to a massive auditorium, with hardwood steps leading to a podium on top of a large stage. Standing on the stage and writing on a blackboard was a green-haired middle-aged woman. She was dressed in a black cloak and vigorously scribbled sentence after sentence of instructions on the board only stopping when she realized she had run out of space. She sighed in annoyance and snapped her fingers causing the board to expand into two connected ones. She clapped her hands together and pulled them apart causing the now two boards to expand even more. Satisfied, she continued to write in the newly found space she had created.

She didn't need to look in order to know who had just walked in. She addressed them in a very southern accent, "I assume you have found them".

"Yes Minerva", said Sarah as she approached her mentor, she reached the stage and floated onto it, landing right behind Minerva, "what happened to your hair?"

"I allowed a student to try out a spell on me", said Minerva, turning her attention to Sarah. The chalk she was holding was now floating and writing on its own, " it was part of her final exam, tomorrow she's going to show me how to change it back". Minerva smiles at Sarah, "now I know you didn't come here just to point out my hair color. What's going on with those mutts?" when Sarah hesitated Minerva's smile disappeared, "so it's true isn't it, Bethlehem is really…."

"I'm sorry Minerva", said Sarah sadly, "his son is gone too".

Minerva put her hand to her mouth in unspoken horror, they had become close friends throughout the years, she couldn't believe he was gone, "oh no, how horrible".

Sarah looked at her sadly, "We got there just in time to save Marie, May and her daughter are here too".

"And Lee?" asked Minerva.

"Burned alive," said Sarah.

The green-haired woman leaned over a bit as sadly washed over her, "I...I need to sit down".

Sarah levitated a folding chair from the back of the stage and sent it over to Minerva, allowing her to sit down, "are you ok?"

Minerva rested her elbows on her legs and cupped her mouth. She stared down at the floor, "I just can't believe it. That poor girl, all she ever wanted was to be loved". She suddenly thought of something and looked to Sarah with hope in her eyes, "what about the Vincents?"

Sarah frowned, "what about them?" She couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice, "Eleanor and Micheal want nothing to do with us and it seems that Edward has run off with a vampire".

"Oh for the love of…" Minerva trailed off in her sudden irritation, "who did he run off with?"

"Kevin Barr", said Sarah, "the reject from Electi".

"Well if that ain't a hoot", said Minerva leaning back in her chair, "one outsider ends up with another outsider". She massaged her temples, "I have to alert the council, we will know what to do from there". She looks over at Sarah concerned, "Meanwhile, send a letter to the Vincent's, I want them here."

Sarah crossed her arms and stared at the floor, "will they actually come".

Minerva frowned, "they've no choice, they're a part of this whether they want it or not. We need all hands on deck". She gets up and reaches into her pants pocket, pulling out a small origami bird. The paper animal starts to flap its wings and lifts itself off her hand. She looks at the bird as it floats in front of her face, "find Ed Hill, protect him from harm". The bird disappears, taking off on its mission. Minerva turns her attention back to Sarah, "now there's the matter of Edward and Kevin. Are we sure he ran off with him?"

"Yeah, Why?", said Sarah.

"I've met Edward before, that doesn't sound like something he would do", said Minerva as her chalk floated back to her hand. She moved toward the blackboard to double-check for any misspelling or any other mistakes, "The Electi cast Kevin out because of his obsession with humans. The guy can't seem to stop kidnapping them, I reckon Edd might be kidnapped. What's so weird about it is he doesn't seem to harm any of them, so he is most likely in some sort of relationship with his victims".

Sarah's eyes widened, she hadn't thought of that before, "should we go after him".

That was a good question, should they rescue Edward, there was no guarantee that he would be safe. Minerva descended down the stairs off the stage while Sarah followed close behind, "it might take me a while to locate him, but the minute I do, we go after him. Let's just hope he is still in one piece by the time we get to him".

3 days later

Edd decided tonight was the night to put his plan into action, earlier that day he was able to get through to Kevin, even if it was just for a brief moment. Now he was going to try and get to the heart of the issue, tonight he was going to get Kevin to talk about Hyacinthus. He walked into the dining room and was met by both Nat and Kevin. He chipperly made his way to the table where a broiled salmon with lemon butter and seasoned rice was waiting for him.

Edd smiled at Nat while regarding the prepared meal, "oh my, this looks delicious". Both of the other males suddenly woke up and gazed at the sudden chipper tone in the smart male's voice.

Nat quickly recovered, realizing the compliment made to his cooking, "thank you, took me hours to make but I'm sure you'll love it".

Edd took a taste of the salmon with some of the rice and moaned in delight at the combined flavors, "mmm, you're right I do".

Nat broke out into a huge smile, "ugh FINALLY, someone who actually appreciates my cooking. It's so refreshing to have someone around with working tastebuds that aren't just reserved for blood".

Edd took a few more bites from his plate and looked over at Kevin with a smile, "how are you this evening, Kevin?"

The redhead took another sip from his wine glass and eyed Edd suspiciously, "depends on who's asking and why".

Edd calmly cuts another piece of salmon with his fork, "I was just wondering, you seemed perturbed this morning".

"That is what happens to a vampire when surrounded by the first light of the day", said Kevin, still keeping his eyes on Edd, "it weakened me, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason why you tried to keep me there".

"Well perhaps that will teach you to not sneak into someone's room while they are asleep", said Edd taking a fork full of salmon into his mouth.

"It is my house", said Kevin, "I shall go wherever I please".

To Nat's surprise, Edd chuckles, "you're right on that, but I do have to make sure I don't wake up one morning with you on top of me".

Kevin smirked and took another sip of his blood. A moment of silence passed between them before he answered, "And what if you do, you are mine after all and I refused to be denied".

Edd smirked back and finished the morsel of food in his mouth before answering, "I have no doubt that you would be able to do whatever you wanted, however, you do have to sleep at some point and there are a surprising number of windows in your room". Kevin's eyes widened causing Edd to chuckle once again, "yes, I took a trip to your room about an hour after you left mine".

Kevin looked over at Nat, "did you…?"

"Kevin I swear I have no idea how he found your room," said Nat in defense.

"It wasn't hard", said Edd, cutting yet another piece of salmon, "although I thought it would be somewhere more secluded like the basement, I was also expecting a coffin but you actually sleep in a bed. A very fancy one at that".

"What the hell were you doing in my room….?" yelled Kevin outraged.

"Without your permission?" asked Edd, "doesn't feel good knowing that someone has snuck into your room without you knowing, does it?" He munched on some of his rice before continuing, "I could have done any number of things to you in your sleep. I could have let the sun in and let it bake you alive. I could have poisoned you, or driven a stake through your heart".

"So why didn't you?" asked Kevin, he then smirked, "are you finally starting to…..?"

Edd interrupts him, "please don't mistake pity for love. Just because I won't kill you does not mean that I love you. I'm just not a killer".

The room was quiet yet again, Nat sat back in his chair and took another sip of his wine. That was brutal but necessary, he certainly didn't want to discourage Edd from telling it like it is. Nat smiled and decided to break up the silence, "you know I found that interesting too, you'd think that someone who's lived for so long would be a bit smarter as to where to rest for the night. The basement would have been perfect".

Kevin ignored him and glowered over his glass of blood, he thought about the first night he spent in the room…

**Flashback (1932)**

Kevin turned in his bed to the sound of humming coming from the now open balcony doors. He smiled at the sight of his dark-skinned reincarnated lover. It took him a while to get her to remember him, which he found odd. Normally one look at him would have been enough to jog hyacinth's memory. He decided to put that out of his mind as a minor fluke and gazed at the plus-sized beauty. The 25-year-old woman stood on the balcony dressed in a loose-fitting golden robe, completely nude underneath. Some would call her chubby but to Kevin, she was a perfect, brown-eyed, black-haired, Jamaican goddess too pure for this harsh, prejudiced world. He got out of bed ignoring the over shoulder coy smile Miriam sent his way sensing him approaching. She leaned against the stone rail on her elbows and gazed at the moon.

Kevin leaned against the doorway, "penny for your thoughts?"

Miriam sighed a bit, she was thinking of a lot of things, she thought about her home which was a million miles away. She thought of all the people she had left behind, her parents, her siblings, her friends, and the man she was actually arranged to marry. They all must be wondering where she was and no doubt she was sure to be in an immense amount of trouble if she were to go back. She put a hand to her head and rubbed her temple, it was as if the past and the present were clashing inside of her mind. She remembered everything, every moment of her past life came flooding into her brain all at once the moment Kevin finally kissed her after years of trying to convince her she was really a reincarnation. It was weird, like her time as Hyacinthus was just a dream she had but couldn't get rid of. She turned to him and hugged herself, "I was just thinking". This was weird, she had a thick Jamaican accent but none of its dialect or pronunciations. It really did feel as though she were talking through the mouth of a hollowed shell.

Kevin grinned and went over to the shorter woman, wrapping his arms around her, "about what?"

"I feel like me", she said leaning into the hug, "but at the same time I don't, it is not like it was before".

Kevin kissed the top of her head, "what do you mean? We meet, I get you to remember your past and then we bang. It appears nothing has changed at all".

Another thought entered Miriam's head and she looked up at him, giving him a serious look, "I am tired Kevin, what will happen when you can no longer…"

"Let's not talk about that right now", said Kevin, he buried his nose in her short, black hair. The truth was he was thinking the same thing, but he figured he'd face that obstacle when or if it comes, "I should move my bed to the basement".

"Don't do that", said Miriam smiling and turning in his arms.

"Why not?" Kevin said following her gaze.

Miriam smiled looking at the moon completely surrounded by stars. The cool wind of the night blew against her skin as her gaze lowered to the clear blue ocean below. The entire area was surrounded by a meadow of trees, grass, and darkly lit flowers. She could also see the fireflies floating and glowing about and took in the sweet smell of everything around her. As if finally finding her answer, she turned around in his arms again, looked into his eyes, and spoke in a sweet gentle tone he will remember for years to come…

**Flashback End**

Kevin gazed at his glass of blood for what seemed like an eternity and murmur, "the view from here is breathtaking".

Edd quirked an eyebrow, "what?"

"The view from my balcony", said Kevin, still looking at the glass, "you said it was breathtaking. You thought it would have been a shame to deprive myself of such a beautiful view".

"I see", said Edd, he had finished his meal but wanted to stay and talk for a bit more, "it's still kind of weird. I mean what if you forget to close the curtains before you turn in?'

Kevin shrugged, "would you forget to do the one thing that keeps you alive?"

Edd thought for a moment, "good point".

Kevin finally looks over at Edd, "you're very curious tonight, interviewing me won't help you escape".

Edd smiled, "I merely want to get to know you".

" In hopes that I'll let you go", said Kevin casually.

"I already know that you won't, so I won't try", said Edd, not missing a beat, "tell me about Hyacinthus". The room was quiet again, Nat halted for a bit and looked over at Kevin.

The red head's eyes were on his glass of blood once again, "why the hell do you care all of a sudden?"

Edd frowned but pressed on, "Lately I have been hearing that man's name more times then I've heard my own. I guess I just want to know about the source of your obsession".

"There's nothing for you to know", said Kevin. He moved out of his seat and stood up, "I grow tired of this conversation. I shall retire for the night". He then proceeded to walk away.

Edd frowned and he called out to the other male, "Kevin, I am not done talking to you".

Kevin ignored him and continued onward towards the door of the dining room. Once he opened the door and stepped through he found himself in the dining room again. Both Edd and Nat stared at him from where they were sitting, however, the look on Nat's face was one of confusion. Kevin blinked at both of them but turned to head out the door again, only to end up right back in the dining room. Now it was Kevin's turn to be confused, he looked over at Edd who eyed him cautiously, he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Kevin glared at him and turned to walk out the door only to end up right back in the dining room. At that moment Kevin's simple glare turned to one of rage, "YOU WITCH".

Edd looked back at him, unsure if he should continue. His intention was not to antagonize or agitate the redhead, he merely wanted to talk to him, "I'm an Occultist, not a witch".

Kevin swiftly marched towards him, his anger taking over, "I'VE NO PATIENCE FOR YOUR TRICKERY, WITCH. RELEASE ME NOW". He swiped at the table causing most of the food, silverware, and glasses to fall onto the floor.

The sudden motion caused Edd to jump out of his chair and stand stiffly next to it. He resisted the urge to hide behind it, he wanted this, now he had to follow through, "it's very rude of you to just end the conversation like that".

"I don't give a shit if you think I'm rude", Kevin growled, "RELEASE ME".

Edd stood his ground, "No, I honestly don't know what you were expecting of me".

Kevin approaches him menacingly, "I expect you to obey me".

"I'm not your slave", said Edd, gaining more courage, " and I'm not your doll. You took me from my home, from my friends and I even watched you tear apart a werewolf, I'll never be able to get that image out of my head. My whole life was uprooted in one night all because of you. You owe me some answers and neither of us is leaving here until I get them". Nat continued to munch on his dinner, he had no intention of interrupting. He was way too invested in the scene unfolding before him, he poured himself a glass of wine and sat back in his chair.

Kevin stared him down for a while, on the outside he was enraged, but on the inside, his loins were on fire. For the first time in a long time he felt a fire inside of him he hadn't felt in ages. His mind randomly flashed back to the first time he and hyacinth made love.

"I will not allow you to leave this room".

**Flashback hotel room in Paris**

Kevin was held in place by a spell that caused every vein in his body to freeze, he couldn't move, he couldn't even blink. The only thing he was allowed to move was his mouth, "why not? What reason do I have to stay?"

A fully nude Hyacinth flicked his hand forward slamming Kevin's half-naked body to the wall on the other end of the room. He then walked towards him glaring at him bitterly, "you do not get to use my body and then just leave. I AM NOT YOUR WHORE".

"WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE?" Kevin shouted back, equally as bitter, "you've committed a sin before your precious god". He closed his eyes as tears began to stream down his face, "you don't love me. How can you? I'm just a filthy beast who defiled you to the point where you have to pray repeatedly to save your soul".

Hyacinth looked at him in shock, Kevin had never cried before. He released the other male from his spell, "that is not true".

"You treat me like a plague", said Kevin angrily glaring at him, "like a disease you can't get rid of. You act like all I want is your body, but that is not true".

"Kevin", said Hyacinth backing away from him, "I…."

"After what we've done last night, do you still doubt me?" asked Kevin, tears still streaming from his eyes, "I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU DAMMIT."

The two stared at one another for a while, Kevin was considering escaping the room through the window. However, the warm feeling of Hyacinth's arms around him held him in place. Hyacinth holds him close as he speaks, "my feelings for you run deeper than anyone I have ever known. But there is so much about you I have yet to know. So many secrets I have yet to unearth, tis the reason why I am so unsure of our future together". He separates from the other male and plants a soft kiss on his lips. He then backs away pulling Kevin along with him towards the bed, "stay, reveal yourself to me, my Adonis, tell me your story".

Kevin gives him a look of hesitation, "it is not a very good story, there is no virtue in anything that I have done".

"I don't care", said Hyacinth, pulling him down to sit next to him, "talk to me Kevin, that is all I want from you".

**Present Day**

The touch of a hand brought Kevin back to the present. To his shock it was from Edd, the smarter male noticed that Kevin seemed to have mentally checked out for a moment as if he were lost in his own mind. Edd took a deep breath and spoke in what he hoped was a comforting tone, "talk to me Kevin, make me understand what all this is about. That's all I want from you".

At that moment something happened that shocked both Edd and Nat. Tears welled up in Kevin's eyes and fell down his cheeks. Nat's eyes widened in a mixture of fear and amazement, "holy shit, you broke Kevin".

"I'M SO SORRY," said Edd in a panic, he let go of Kevin's hand and went to grab a napkin, "I...I didn't mean to hurt you I just wanted to talk", he tried to hand the napkin to Kevin but the redhead quickly turned from him.

For a few minutes, his face was hidden from the two other males as he moved back towards his chair and put a hand on it. This was too much for him to handle at the moment. His mind flicked in and out between the past and the present, it was all too much for him to bear. He needed to regain his composure, he needed to rest. After what seemed like forever, Kevin waited for the last remnants of the past to flicker from his mind before addressing Edd. his back was still turned to him as he spoke in a low, almost vulnerable tone, "I…...apologize for my rude departure". Another flicker from the past invaded his mind.

"_**So many secrets I have yet to unearth"**_.

He placed his hand to his mouth and shut his eyes tightly willing the painful memory away. After a few more minutes, he removed his hand and took in a silent breath and continued, "come to my room tomorrow night, we will have our discussion then". He kept his face towards the door as another memory flicked past him.

" _**Reveal yourself to me, my Adonis"**_.

He was ready for that one, he took another breath before speaking again, this time with an air of confidence, "dawn will be upon us soon, I must rest for the night. Release me from your spell". Edd didn't hesitate, he waved his hand towards the door and released Kevin from the spell. Kevin still didn't turn to look at him, he headed toward the door, but stopped briefly when he was sure the spell was officially broken, "thank you". With that he exited the room, leaving Edd and Nat to ponder what just happened. Kevin made his way to his room in silence as another memory flickered through his mind.

"_**Tell me your story"**_

He stopped at the front of his door and banged his head against it as more tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly opened the door and walked inside his room. He then leaned against the closed door and allowed himself to sink to the floor. More tears streamed down his face, he was angry at himself for allowing these visions of the past to interfere with his present. It was the whole reason why he did not want to talk about Hyacinth. Both his body and his mind betrayed him at the worst possible moment. In a mixture of anger and despair, Kevin sat on the floor and quietly wept.


End file.
